Final Fate
by DarkElements10
Summary: -Sequel to 'Downfall'-. -Last in series-. Nine years after Uriel's disappearance, Zack and Cody find there's always something that's going to come their way and Uriel kept his promise of making their lives a nightmare. When the EAC calls their entire team to deal with a threat, there are even more important things that come under fire. Their families.
1. There's a lot I need to tell you

**Final Fate**

 **By: Riley**

 **Summary – -** Sequel to 'Downfall'-. Nine years after Uriel's disappearance, Zack and Cody find there's always something that's going to come their way and Uriel kept his promise of making their lives a nightmare. When the EAC calls their entire team to deal with a threat, there are even more important things that come under fire. Their families.

* * *

CHAPTER ONE

* * *

"Hey. How much longer?"

Cody Martin took his time opening his eyes. A heavy sigh swelled in his chest and he resisted the urge to make an immediate sarcastic comment. (Years of conditioning had made it very hard to push down the natural instinct). It was the way he always managed to deal with his brother but he didn't want to ruin the mood. Nothing was better than the elation of knowing after a long time away to be returning home and not even his brother's impatience would throw him.

Swiveling his head to the side, Cody opened his eyes and blew his bangs out of his face. He found Zack staring back at him. Cody's eyes widened for a moment, already feeling his irritation start to come up once more, and then he shook his head. "About ten minutes less than the last time you asked me, Zack," he replied.

Zack continued to stare at him.

Cody closed his eyes and rested his head back against the headrest of his seat. "About an hour, Zack!"

Zack muttered something under his breath and turned back to face the front. He stretched out his legs, bumping his knee into the sat in front of him. He muttered a curse under his breath and crossed his legs at the knee, rubbing the wounded spot.

"You know, for someone who can actually fly himself, you seem to get really jumpy about being in an airplane," Cody remarked after a second. The corners of his lips pulled back into a humorless smile. "I seem to remember that only Blazen and Phantom got that way about flying." Then the humor and mirth filled his smiled; it was funny to see how much things had changed. His guardian used to go ballistic having to sit in an enclosed airplane, not just because he couldn't stretch his wings and fly, but because of the unfamiliarity of it all.

Now Cody had to practically drag him off of airplanes. It was helpful now that they didn't have to keep their guardians a secret. But it was more difficult going through the airport with their fame and celebrity now. He even had to turn down the chance of sitting in first class, which Zack clearly hadn't gotten over, because he didn't want to be treated differently.

It didn't matter how cushy their seats were, Zack's aversion to flying was going to take a while to get over.

"Yeah, well, you have your helicopter shot down a few times and you'd get a bit jumpy, too," Zack replied. He leaned down in his seat, stretching out his legs and crossed them at the ankle, and tucked his hands into his armpits. "I don't think I need to remind you that this is the first time we're going to be home for…three months."

"Congratulations, Zack! You've finally learned how to count."

"I'm twenty-seven, Cody. Not two."

"Two for two, if you get another one right I'll give you a sticker." Cody smiled as Zack rolled his eyes, turning away from him.

A yawn made Cody briefly close his eyes and when he opened them he took stock around the jet plane. Two soldiers sat at the back of the plane with their rifles sitting nearby as they had been since takeoff. Even being as far up the ladder on the EAC as he and Zack were they still had to have some sort of protection around them whenever they traveled. At least, that's what Diamond had said when they got onto the plane the first time and found them in the back.

Still, as strong as he and Zack were it probably wasn't a bad idea to have some back up. He just hoped the others would get it as well when it was their turn to be shipped out.

"So what are you going to do once you get back?"

Zack's questions caught Cody off-guard for a moment and he quickly twisted back around to face his brother, moving so fast that he felt a twinge in his lower back that shot up towards his neck. With a low groan, he rubbed at the knot his muscles made underneath his skin. "What'd you say?"

"I _asked_ what you're going to do once we get back." Zack asked. "Like, first thing."

"Apart from getting a full body massage?" Cody grimaced, continuing to rub his neck.

"I thought that's what your wife was for," Zack pointed out with a lazy grin.

"When she's pregnant? I don't think so. I don't think she can bend over that far." Cody leaned back in his seat and mimicked his brother, crossing his legs at the ankle. "No, I think what I'm going to do is take a long bath or a shower. Anything that will get this nasty smell off me." He pulled the collar of his shirt away from him. "Can you believe how filthy the commodities were? I could take a shower and I'd still feel the tiny pinpricks of those amoebas and bacteria crawling all over me."

Zack snorted. "We were in Afghanistan, Cody, not Mexico. God, you still haven't changed. Don't you think by _now_ you'd learn that your affinity for cleanliness doesn't work when you're in our line of business?"

"Oh, now you've learned even more words," Cody teased. Zack gave him the finger and Cody noticed the mischievous glint in his eye. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"Yes; that with all of the downtime we've had I've been reading a lot. Fuck you." Zack grinned and stretched his arms over his head. "I think the first thing I'm going to do is get a burger or a large pizza. Nearly four months without it has almost killed me. Good news is that I've managed to lose enough weight that scarfing it down once I get my hands on it won't make a difference." He placed his hands on his flat stomach and shook it back and forth as if to prove his point.

"Typical Zack, the first thing you think about is food."

"Actually, it's the second thing I thought about. The first thing I can't say or it'll make you blush."

Cody snorted, rolling his eyes. Okay, _that_ was more typical Zack. He thought of something smart to say back to him but made a noncommittal humming sound in return. He continued to rub his hands up and down his arms, part of his mind still on the filthiness of the plane.

Zack sighed. "Cody, you control the power of water and cleaned yourself just fine when we were over there."

"And our conditions were still disgusting," Cody said. He ran his hands over each other wanting nothing more than his loofah and cleansing, exfoliating scrubs. Then he felt himself start to smile a little.

The wages of war they had come face to face with wasn't anything that would break him out of his normal habits despite the horrors they had seen over a significant part of his life. His and Zack's time were done and the next time the EAC would be called into action it would be someone else.

Plenty of time to get rest and acclimated back into regular society.

Well, as regular as they could be when he and Zack were well known for their powers and what they had done to save Boston and the entire world nine years before. Cody closed his eyes, resting his head against his headrest, thinking about what had changed. It had certainly been a lot; once Uriel had been defeated and they all were officially inducted into the Elemental Action Coalition things had progressed at a relatively fast pace. Then again they had waged war against everything that had come through the barrier that had separated Earth from the Element World and deserved a bit of normalcy.

 _But having children by the time you're twenty-seven wasn't something you would have ever considered normal,_ Cody reminded himself. Being a reincarnate of sorts of two of the four most influential parts of the Element World wasn't something he ever thought would be normal either, but he had gotten used to that.

His mother and father were together in whatever capacity they were, he had a career in the science field that he greatly enjoyed, and had a home life he imagined since he was young and planned his life out to the 't'. And as pessimistic as he was, he was waiting for the other shoe to drop at some point.

Yet, he soon found himself off the jet plane, having bid goodbye to Zack, and sat patiently in the back of the cab that drove him back to his house. It was a modest place out in the suburbs, not far from where the Tipton hotel was, and it was certainly a place he would call home. The bright light that reflected into the cab, enough so that the driver mumbled to himself and flipped down the sun visor, alerted him he was close to being home. His was the only place on the block that used solar energy and a backup generator to run the house, something he had insisted upon when it was being built. (Zack had given him hell for it but made sure the feature was put in).

Did Cody ever believe it would be a place to raise children? No, not initially, but it quickly grew that way. It especially helped that it was a place well equipped for the small bouts of elemental energy their kids would potentially hold. (Depending on whether or not it skipped a generation).

Stepping through the front door, Cody smiled and took in a deep breath. It smelled just the way he always remembered it to be. And it was already warm and inviting. He couldn't wait to be there long enough to remember he wasn't going anywhere for a while.

"Hey," Cody called, gently closing the front door behind him. "I'm back."

"Cody, hey!" he heard from the living room.

Cody tripled checked that he locked the door before turning around and immediately smiling with amusement. He watched as Crystal Martin—née Manning—slowly rocked back and forth as she tried to get off the couch, her heavily pregnant belly hindering her progression.

"Hold on," she said, shifting to the side. "Hold on." She shifted the other way. "I'm almost there. Almost up. Hold on." Finally, Crystal managed to get enough leverage underneath her to stand up, where she let out a breath of relief. Placing one hand on her stomach she walked—slightly waddled—over to Cody. "You know you could've helped me."

"And miss my free source of entertainment?" Cody returned, carefully taking off his shoes and returned them to their place by the stairs.

"You're lucky I'm pregnant or else I'd kick your butt," Crystal said. She came up and belly bumped him, making him laugh as he took a step back. Then she twisted her stomach away and wrapped her arms around him. Cody smiled and hugged her back, giving her a kiss. Then he knelt down to gently kiss her stomach. He ran his hands along the clothed skin, smiling as a bump smacked him in the palm. "Cassidy's been kicking up a storm lately. Probably knowing her father was coming home."

"Aww, I missed her, too," Cody said, continuing to rub Crystal's stomach. Then he stood up straight and kissed her again. "And, you."

"Mmm, knowing you I'm sure you missed the comforts of your own shower," Crystal pointed out.

"You know me too well."

"I should, you wrote about it enough." Crystal moved her hand to her stomach, the other to her lower back as she walked back into the living room with Cody following behind her. He glanced around at the living room, eyebrows rising when he noticed the knitting. "Did a yarn shop blow up?"

"Pregnancy project," Crystal replied, slowly lowering herself back to the couch. "There has to be something to do that'll hold my attention and this is relaxing. Plus, I've managed to make enough hats, scarves, and gloves that Cassidy won't get cold when she's born."

Cody sat down next to her, fatigue suddenly falling onto his shoulders. Real life was already coming back and striking him over and over again. "How much longer?"

"Next month," Crystal said with a small smile.

"Are you scared?"

"A little. I just want her to be okay, just like every other parent wants for their first born," Crystal replied. She lowered the knitting and smiled over at him. "But I've been thinking what sort of powers she'd get if she does get any. From the way she's been kicking around in there I'd think some sort of strength based one."

Cody laughed. "It hurts that much?"

Crystal laughed back. "Only when it's a sudden blow to the ribs. She can kick hard."

Then Cody's smile faded as he leaned back on the couch, resting an arm over his eyes. He let out a long sigh. This was always the best part and the hard part all the dame; getting ready for the baby and wondering what was going to happen next. If there was going to be something else that would tear him away quicker than any of them expected, it would come too soon.

Especially after what happened with…

Cody swallowed hard. He couldn't think about it again. It haunted his dreams enough.

"Hey." Crystal reached out and gently rubbed her fingertips into his neck, loosening the muscles there. "Is everything okay?"

"No," Cody said honestly. "There's a lot I need to tell you. But I don't want to think about it right now."

"That's okay. I'm just glad you're home." Crystal said. She then smiled a little as she noticed Cody's bag wriggling around. "And I think Phantom is, too," she added. Cody looked over and laughed as the zipper to the bag suddenly opened and his guardian blasted out of the opening, unfurling his wings as he did so. Phantom shook as a shiver went through his body, a few feathers falling to the ground.

"Do you know how stuffy it is in there?" He asked.

"Hey, I made sure there was maximum comfort in there around my efficient packing," Cody defended himself. Phantom made a huffing sound and flew over, perching on the arm of the couch beside him. He shot Cody a glare then hopped over, nestling atop Crystal's stomach.

"Are you trying to hatch an egg?" Crystal asked him.

"I'm trying to keep the baby warm," Phantom replied, gently nudging her protruding bellybutton with his beak.

"Well between you and Dricer I'm starting to think I'm not going to need to do anything else for this baby," Crystal remarked. "Looks like you all have it under control."

Cody reached out a hand and placed it on Crystal's stomach once more, gently rubbing his thumb over it. That was the best outcome they could have of everything they've been through. That everything was under control.

Now he could wait for the best thing in his life to happen.

* * *

Zack stretched his arms over his head as he stepped out of the backseat of the cab. Every muscle in his body momentarily seized before relaxing in relief. Being out of that cramped airplane was already doing wonders for his morale. He shook hands with the driver, passing over a tip as he did so, and then picked up his bag from the ground. He slung it over his shoulder just in time for a side pocket to wiggle before opening and Blazen stuck his head out.

"Everyone knows who we are now, why do I have to keep staying in your bag? Did you _know_ how disgusting your socks are?" His guardian demanded.

"You've been spending too much time with Cody, Blazen," Zack commented to his guardian. "And you know how it is. People know who we are but I couldn't run the risk of someone trying to get to you. Little kids are okay. But everyone else is a little worse to deal with."

Blazen blinked twice. "Worse than your socks?"

"Get back inside." Zack reached out his hand and shoved Blazen's head back into the pocket, zipping it shut once more. "We're almost in the house, and then you can stretch out and do whatever you want." Running a hand through his hair, Zack turned back to the front of his house and tilted his head to the side. A wave of relief, excitement, and anticipation washed over him as he got a good look.

Three, almost four months away was harder than he thought it would be. The sight of his house was much more welcoming than it had been before.

Then Zack smiled; he could hear the excited cries come from inside the house. They started softly, increasing in volume as it moved closer to the front of the house. Then the front door flung open and a set of towheaded toddlers came careening out the front door. "Daddy, daddy!" they called as they ran.

Zack grinned and bent down to catch his twins as they slammed into him. He hugged the two tightly, half listening to the babbling that came out of their mouths and half wondering for the umpteenth time how his mother ever managed to deal with twins on her own. Their little hands clutched his shoulders as they hugged him tightly, both fighting for his attention.

He could barely decipher what they were saying between their hugs and shushing each other. Then their voices rose as they tried to talk over each other.

"Jayden, Emma, you're going to need to take turns or else I'm not going to get any of this story," Zack said to them, pulling his head back far enough so that he could hear them. Jayden looked up at him for a moment, then over at his sister, before he started speaking. Emma, who seemed to decide that she wanted to say something as well, frowned at her brother before reaching over and slapping him on the arm.

Jayden stopped in the middle of his sentence before he made a whining sound, grasping Zack's shirt. "Daddy, Emma hit me!"

"No, I didn't," Emma whined in reply.

"Yes, you did!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

Zack sighed.

This was something he certainly didn't miss.

He gave his son and daughter a kiss on the cheek before shifting them up so he could look them in the eye. "Where's your mother?" He asked. Thankfully that took their attention away from their fight and Jayden and Emma immediately twisted around to change their cries to, "Mummy!" over and over again.

The front door to the house opened again and this time Riley Martin—née Jackson—stepped onto the front porch. Her eyes shifted to find her children, expression twisted into one of maternal concern, then lifted and rested on Zack's face. Her face cleared and a warm smile immediately came to her face. "Zack!" she cried.

Zack placed his kids the ground and hurried over to his wife, bending low to wrap his arms around her thighs and lifted her up off the ground. Riley threw her arms around Zack's neck and hugged her just as tightly, burying his face into her hair.

"You weren't supposed to be back until next month," she said, voice muffed against his shoulder.

"I know, but we got finished early," Zack replied.

Riley pulled back and placed her hands on Zack's cheeks, smiling down at him. Then she chuckled. "You smell," she commented.

Zack's smile widened. "I've been gone for three months and the first thing you need to tell me is that I smell?"

"And that you need to handle your kids."

"Since when are they _my_ kids?"

"Since you got back." Riley grinned and the couple shared a long kiss. Zack could vaguely hear Jayden crying "eww" while Emma shushed him before the kiss ended. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Hot Stuff," Zack replied, causing Riley to roll her eyes. He placed her on the ground and kneeled down to ruffle his children's hair. "And you guys, I missed you a lot." He gave them each a big kiss on the cheek.

Emma wrapped her small arms around Zack's neck and looked up at him with wide, blue eyes. "Daddy, are you going to leave again?"

"Not for a while, sweetie," Zack replied. Which was true. Once someone on the EAC finished one of their assignments it was months before they were called out for another one, not unless their faction was specifically called in to handle something. He didn't expect to leave for another year at the most.

 _Not unless…_ Zack immediately pushed the thought out of his head. He absolutely hated to think about what had happened. He just hoped he could have the conversation once for debriefing then never have to speak about it again. Despite enjoying studying numerous wars in history classes (even though he did particularly enjoy school much at all) experiencing it was a completely different thing.

Riley, always able to tell when something was wrong, gave him a long look. "What's up?" She asked, watching him carefully as he straightened up.

"Nothing." Zack leaned over and kissed the side of her head. "I'll tell you later." He put his arm around her shoulder, laughing as he noticed Jayden and Emma grab onto the strap of his bag and tried to drag it towards the house. Then Jayden noticed the side pocket and unzipped it, laughing as Blazen immediately climbed out, clutching onto the bag with his talons.

He fluffed his wings seconds before Jayden grabbed onto him and hugged him to his chest.

"Jay, be careful," Riley called.

Zack waved his hand. "From how many times he's been thrown around by baggage handlers, that's nothing." He laughed as Blazen sent a glare his way. The front door opened once more and DalFang walked out, taking graceful steps across the front lawn. He bent his head and nudged Emma up onto his back, taking the strap of Zack's bag in his teeth.

Emma squealed in excitement, grasping onto his fur as he padded over to Jayden and did the same to him before disappearing into the house. Zack chuckled to himself, and then his eyebrows came together when he noticed someone missing. "Where's Koto?" He asked.

Riley looped her arm around Zack's waist as she leaned into his side. "I don't know. His room was empty this morning, I haven't heard from him since then." She lifted her free hand and laced her fingers with Zack's as his arm draped around her shoulder. "So everyone made it back okay?"

"As far as I know," Zack replied slowly. Eyes narrowing, Riley tilted her head to look up at him but he eased her thought, giving her another kiss. "I'm so glad to be home."

"Me too," Riley agreed. "The house has been really quiet with you gone. And Jayden and Emma have been asking over and over when you're going to be back. By the way, as soon as you sit down you're probably not going to be able to get back up."

"Why? Did you cook a lot of food?"

"No, because the kids have a lot of stuff they want to give you."

True to her word, as soon as Zack got into the house his kids presented him with different drawings and toys they had accumulated over the last few months, forcing him to play with them. Then when it was time for them to go to sleep, they continued to bring over book after book for him to read, snuggling up to his side as he did so. Then it took another hour for them to be put to bed and stay in bed.

Finally, Zack made his way back down to the living room where Riley sat on the couch, glasses on her face and looking over numerous papers and envelopes. With a heavy sigh he stretched out next to her. "Does it always take this long to get them to go to sleep or am I only just remembering it?"

"No, tonight was special, yeah?" Riley replied. She smiled teasingly at him. "You should be glad they didn't put up so much of a fight this time. Normally it takes another two hours."

Zack smiled. He watched her for a long minute, taking in everything he had missed while he was gone. People were right when they said absence made the heart grow fonder.

"The kids already ate, but our dinner will be done in about a half hour," Riley said, not taking her eyes away from the papers in front of her.

"I wasn't thinking about that," Zack said quietly.

A low chuckle escaped Riley's lips. "I _know_ what you're thinking about, Casanova. But it seems to me that what you need right now is to actually get as much sleep as you can before the kids wake you up later. A king size bed isn't so big when you have two wiggling toddlers in there with you."

"I'd gladly take that over having to cuddle with Cody," Zack remarked. He put one arm behind his head, resting the other across his stomach. "What are you doing?"

"Bills. And before you freak out, I managed to run your company just fine while you were gone."

"Oh, I wasn't worried about that." Sitting up, Zack wrapped his arms around his wife's waist before lying back down once more. Riley turned on her side and wrapped her arms around him as well. "I was more worried to come back and find our house completely empty."

"They haven't developed any powers yet, Z," Riley pointed out. She reached up and started to drag her fingers around his stomach. "If they did I would've made sure you knew as soon as possible."

"I was more afraid that you would've left."

Eyebrows crinkling Riley lifted her head and looked her husband in the eye. "I've never thought of leaving, Zack, no matter what happened. Why would I do it now?"

Zack didn't respond. Instead, he placed another kiss to her forehead and tightened his grip on her.

He wasn't sure if it was a feeling or a premonition of some sort but the thought had been in the back of his mind; that he'd return home and things would've greatly changed.

If he had paid closer attention to that feeling he would've made the connection when later that night he had his first nightmare in over nine years.

* * *

 **A/N:** Whoo, first chapter of the last story in the elemental series. This one anyway, still need to re-do its 'origin' within suite life. I'm still working on _Intuition,_ Cody's sequel to _Help Me, Save Me_ I just wanted to switch gears a bit.

Next chapter brings in everyone else, just wanted to show Zack and Cody first.

So let me know what you think.

 **-Riles**


	2. He was hers and she loved him

CHAPTER TWO

* * *

Bailey Pickett smiled as she closed the Book of Esme, resting her hand atop the leather for a few seconds before dragging her fingers away. The leather slid like butter against her fingertips, releasing a nature-like scent, reminiscent of the woods after the rain. After a seconds it mixed with the smell of farm life.

Despite not being in Kettlecorn anymore, everything about it continued to follow her around, letting her know her home was always going to be her home no matter where she went and what happened. Not that the Tipton hotel hadn't become a really good home, but it got lonely at times. She understood how Zack and Cody were consistently trying to make their own sense of fun while they were there. An upscale hotel wasn't the best place to live by yourself, let alone with your family.

A light smile came to Bailey's face as she walked over to the couch and gently ran her fingers over her son's hair. His eyebrows came together under her touch before he relaxed and moved closer to her fingertips. Then Bailey smiled wider. She hadn't expected this life for the two of them but she wouldn't trade him for anything. Kneeling down, Bailey gently shook his shoulder. "Finn, sweetie, we have to go."

Finn's eyes fluttered open and he turned to look at her. Then he reached up with a slim hand and rubbed at his eye. "I'm tired, mama," he whispered.

"You've been sleeping for a while now, come on." Bailey grabbed Finn's arm and gently pulled him up into her arms. He immediately latched around her neck and rested his cheek on her shoulder. Bailey laughed, holding him up as she gathered her things together to leave the room. For a seven year old he was already starting to act like a teenager; he hated to have his sleep interrupted and would whine and complain whenever it was.

And considering how heavy he was, this was definitely going to be the last time she would pick him up.

Bailey left her hotel suite and went down to the lobby, greeting Esteban and Mr. Moseby as she went. They smiled and waved back at her before turning back to the guests that were checking in, of which were staring at her in wonder and awe. Bailey blushed as she walked a little faster, not wanting to be stopped. It would be a mob scene if she was stopped and asked questions about their last fight, about the EAC, thanking her for her service, saying she was a hero.

She wasn't a hero, none of them were heroes. They were given abilities that had consequences of those that wanted to make sure their powers were taken away, to make sure that things continued to be 'normal'. Bailey used to know what it was like to be 'normal', before having set foot on the SS Tipton and learning that Zack and Cody weren't 'normal'.

But what was normal anyway?

Apparently not having powers that could help or hurt a city to the point that the government had followed them around not to mention the different beings that had followed them as long as they could remember. Being thrust into that world had been a major culture shock for her and she was still doing her best to become de-sensitized to it. Finn, on the other hand, thought it was the coolest thing and asked question after question for the adventures they had gone through within the last nine years.

Not only that but she had caught him reading the Book of Esme time and time again. She wasn't sure he could _actually_ read it, but he was definitely interested in it. _I wonder if it was a good idea to leave it behind,_ Bailey thought as she continued walking down the congested sidewalks. It wasn't like she hadn't put a protective spell over it before leaving, so that no one would be able to touch it.

It must've been that healthy sense of fear and paranoia that had been instilled in her.

Finally, Bailey reached the convention center and went inside, following the arrows that were set up around the lobby. She smiled at every well-dressed man and woman that smiled and nodded to her. They were military men and women, those that worked in the government, detectives, and plain-clothes police officers. Just as long as there were enough people around to make sure there wasn't going to be any incidents.

Not that she and her friends couldn't handle it.

"Finny, you have to get down now," Bailey said, lowering him to the ground. He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. Bailey ran her fingers through his dirty blond hair once more. "Hey, I see some of your friends." She pointed towards the four kids that were running around the large room; one crawling on her hands and knees, one toddling after her, and then two older kids running at full tilt.

Finn smiled and immediately raced over to join the kids before Bailey turned to find their parents. It didn't take too long for her to find Reihu ad Rhuben sitting at a table with food already in front of them. Or what was left of it; a large pile of plates sat in front of Reihu while Rhuben continued to finish her smaller plate.

With a smile, Bailey hurried over and threw herself down into the seat next to Rhuben. She grinned, "So something told me that I would get the news that you're pregnant again," she teased.

Rhuben rolled her blue eyes before turning to Reihu, who pointedly looked away. "If he had his way, probably. But I'm done, yeah? Besides, Crys may need some help and there's doesn't need to be two hormonal woman around." She then turned back to Bailey and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly. "It's been so long."

"Not _so_ long," Bailey said. She ran a hand through her hair. "I've been working as much as the rest of you have. Mostly taking trips to the Element World. I haven't been that far away."

"Right, just a whole other world away," Rhuben pointed out.

Bailey smiled and nodded. She looked over at the kids as they continued to run around. "Not that it looks like I've been missing anything down here. How do you manage to not go crazy with all of those kids around?"

"The same way we don't get annoyed with anything else," Reihu pointed out with a smile, showing off his sharp canines. "We get by with a little help from our powers."

"Yeah, I think the threat of the boogeyman is starting to get a little sadistic," Rhuben said with a half-smile, her eyes shining with amusement. She held up her hand as it started to glow a light purple. "But it seems to work." She leaned back and looked over towards her kids. "Watch out for Averey!" She called. "Cannon, Reese, get her and Axel."

Bailey laughed. "You must have your hands full."

"Being with my brothers and sister so long makes it easier," Rhuben said. Her eyes shifted and she sat up straight, waving an arm over her head. Bailey twisted around then beamed when she saw Max and Tapeworm walking their way. "Hey!" She got up to give the two a hug. "I didn't think you were going to make it."

"It's not that far of a drive from New York," Tapeworm pointed out. He moved aside for Max to give her a hug then moved onto Rhuben and Reihu. "We got here last night and then came in today. Couldn't miss this."

"Oh yeah, a debriefing is always so fun," Max said with a light roll of her eyes. She gently slapped her husband on the chest. "I'd rather be back in school being lectured to."

"I'm pretty sure when you were in school you were busy trying to keep Core and the rest of WingzCorp form attacking," Bailey said. She pressed a finger to her chin. "At least that's what I remember you telling me."

"Yeah, and things were easier back then," Max pointed out. She chuckled then looked around the room. "Wow, everyone's getting so big!"

Bailey could hear the wistfulness in her voice. It had been really hard when she and Tapeworm found out they couldn't have children as Max was infertile. But Max put on a brave face since the diagnosis and she and Tapeworm had managed to make it out stronger than ever. At the moment they were having a lot of fun visiting numerous countries and volunteering when they weren't back living in New York.

Bailey knew Max and Tapeworm had spoken about adoption but didn't know where they currently were at the moment. Not that it was any of her business, but she did know what went through people's heads when thinking of adoption. She had thought of it when she had gotten pregnant and her relationship with the father had slowly fallen apart. She was only twenty years old with no one to help her and no way of really being able to handle everything on her own.

But once Finn was born and she held him for the first time she knew she couldn't do it; he was hers and she loved him unconditionally. Plus, the more she could keep an eye on him the better, in terms of his abilities. He had been showing bursts of power here and there, very reminiscent to what she could do with the help of Geneva and Gattaca, but still nothing to be inherently worried about.

The only worry she had was if she was going to be called next to help out the EAC. Zack and Cody had just gotten back from their work, so it was going to be some time before they went back, opening up the position for the others to go. She didn't know what she'd do if she had to leave Finn behind. When he was younger it was easier, the passage of time wasn't a problem, but now that he was older and going to school and understanding her job more often it was hard.

"That's what happens when you're away for so long," Rhuben pointed out.

Then the room suddenly became filled with everyone speaking over each other as the others arrived. Patrick, Noah, and Sydney arrived with everyone noting the passage of time especially with Sydney, the youngest of them all, now being twenty years old, and Noah having recently gotten engaged while Patrick was still dating his long term girlfriend. Then Julius and Maddie arrived with their eight year old daughter, Lennox with them.

She was the only one of the kids that had fully exhibited and started to train to use her powers; of stars. Bailey had seen Lennox use her abilities once and had nearly been blinded by the result. It was an accident, but she was learning pretty quickly when and when not to use her powers as well as how to control the luminosity of it as well.

Then Zack, Cody, Riley and Crystal had arrived and everyone started speaking to each other, overtop each other, and with excitement as they went to see how things were going with each other. For some of them, they saw each other every day, for others it had been months since they had been together. All in all, the entire group hadn't been together for a couple of years with different parts of their jobs sending them off in all different directions.

Finally, they got their food form the buffet and sat down with each other. Bailey listened quietly as they all explained what had been going on with their lives. Bailey frowned as she looked over at Zack and Cody; they had gotten back from Afghanistan and she could see they was still something that was haunting them about the trip. They spoke highly of it, saying they had met lots of good people, there wasn't a lot of combat they saw, and they learned a lot. Still, Bailey had a feeling there was something else that wasn't being said.

"So out in Afghanistan there were a few forces that were using their powers to aid the Taliban. And there are others that were trying to fend them off," Cody explained, finally debriefing everyone. Bailey looked over her shoulder to make sure their children weren't paying attention; they were all sitting on the floor of the conference room, looking at cell phones and computers at some kids' show that held their attention. "However, there's something about the Taliban forces that made it so that they were stronger than we could've ever imagined."

"Even with the regular ammunition they had?" Julius asked, eyebrows rising. "Or did they focus more with their powers?"

"For what we went up against they were focusing more with their powers," Cody confirmed. His eyes narrowed for a moment. "Honestly, I thought that was a little strange. By now they'd know who we are and what we can do. Why waste the time?"

Tapeworm frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I think I get it," Zack said, coming to his brother's aid. "There haven't been many people that have come to us, with new weapons that had been created to take on our powers. Why continued to use 'regular' weapons when the technological advances can be made?"

"Well, what did Diamond have to say about it?" Reihu asked.

There was a moment of silence. That was it, Bailey realized. That had to be it. Something had happened with Diamond that they weren't saying or didn't know how to say. Bailey's breath caught in her throat, there were too many scenarios that flashed through her mind; of them running through the desert, being bombed in abandoned buildings, running out into gunfire. And they continued to scroll though her head like a slideshow.

"He's hurt," Cody finally said. "We're not so sure how bad things are, just what we knew when we left."

"What happened?" Maddie asked. She tucked her hair behind her ear, and glanced over at Lennox, smiling gently as her black haired, brown-eyed daughter watched whatever show the little kids were watching, making sure they were sitting still. She certainly took her role as the oldest very seriously.

"Ambush," Zack explained. His voice turned flat. "And he ran out to make sure that we were protected, because we were trying to figure out some sort of a peace treaty thing with diplomats and others there. But some people didn't want us around and they attacked. I don't know if it was a bomb blast or anything like that, but the next thing we knew, Diamond was on the ground and…" he trailed off, looking away.

It had to be really bad, Bailey noted, if even Zack couldn't explain. Zack; the boy who had been so into comic books and adventures when he first started out as an elemental and now took it as seriously as life itself. There were so many horrors all of them had seen, but having to see one of their own fall must've been bad.

"Do you know the extent of the damage?" Max pressed.

"Broken leg, broken pelvis," Cody explained with doctor-like precision. "Lacerations, internal bleeding. That's the last we heard, right before we had to leave. The government officials that were with us said they'd let us know if anything changed. We don't know anything other than that."

Bailey nodded. Then she froze. A peculiar feeling washed over her, like nothing she had ever felt before. No, that was a lie. She had felt it before; when she was at Yale and trying to live a normal life, after having experienced the elemental world firsthand. She had been speaking to Geneva and Gattaca about the Book of Esme for the first time and she had been interrupted by her schoolmates' screams. Racing out of her dorm room, she found one of her classmates possessed by something.

It wasn't until later they found out it was by someone in particular. Urial. It was his first time showing himself to the group and he had sent out his Shadow Hunters to face her as well. But Uriel was gone, wasn't he?

 _I feel their energies,_ Geneva said. Her voice as calm as ever but there was a hint of concern to her tone. _There's something that's troubling them, something that is causing them great strife. I can feel the energy._

Bailey waited for Gattaca to say something to his sister but he was quiet. When that happened it was because he knew there was truth to what Geneva was saying. If that was the case, things weren't as good as they thought they would be. Not just because Diamond had been hurt, not just because of the news of what was going on in Afghanistan, but because of something bigger than that.

So Bailey waited for the right time to bring it up. Once Zack and Cody were completely debriefed the topic changed to what they were going to do now that they were moving back into normal life and how everyone's jobs were going. But Bailey couldn't ignore the feeling, like a cold hand slowly gliding up her back, making her skin crawl and goosebumps erupt.

She tried to shake it off the best she could, knowing there were still representatives from the White House that were going to speak to them, but she couldn't wait too long. There was definitely something wrong and she needed to know what it was. As such when she had the time, she asked Zack and Cody to step aside so that they could talk.

"Mom?" Finn asked, looking away from his piece of cake. Emma and Jayden looked over as well, though continued to push pieces of cake into their mouths.

"It's okay; I'll be back in a minute. I just want to talk to Zack and Cody for a minute." The three walked away and Bailey immediately crossed her arms over her chest when they were alone. "I'd think that the time we've known each other and I've known what you guys could do that I've been helpful. So I'd think that you would be able to do the same for me."

Zack's face screwed up. "Huh?"

Even Cody looked a little confused. That was a little strange for Bailey; Cody was the one who typically was able to pick up on people's feelings and ideas before they had even figured it out themselves. "I mean, you can stop acting like the rest of us are dumb. I know something's going, I…I can feel it." She cleared her throat. "I mean, I've had this long to get to know my abilities. I think I know when they're trying to tell me something. Even Geneva said she's sensing something."

Now Zack and Cody exchanged a glance and Zack finally sighed, running his hands through his hair.

"Okay," Zack said, lowering his voice. He looked over Bailey's shoulder. "We're going to tell the others but we wanted to be sure it was something you might be able to help us with first," he said.

Bailey shrugged and nodded.

Cody took a breath, licking his lips. He nervously chewed his bottom lip and check to be sure no one was listening. He nodded over to Zack. "He said he had a nightmare last night, one that he hasn't had in years."

Bailey's eyes narrowed for a moment as she looked back and forth between the twins. Sometimes they had a way of being really vague with things. Mostly as they didn't want to say anything until they were absolutely sure of things; the responsibility of being the strongest elementals of their time had to be very hard. Unfortunately they used it as a way to make sure the decisions they mad was only for them to decide, rather than the others.

"And the only time Zack's ever had that dream before…was when Uriel was still around."

* * *

 **A/N:** And we'll be back with Nathan, Christian, Reed, Renee, and Kristen with the next chapter. I hope you like the chapter.

 **-Riles**


	3. I know that feeling

CHAPTER THREE

* * *

 **New York City**

Nathan Reeves turned away from his computer as a strange feeling washed over him. He sat in his chair for a moment, staring ahead towards the opening to his office. Waiting for something or someone to show itself. The feeling of being watched wasn't going after a few seconds and it was starting to unnerve him more than he ever thought. Because he had that feeling before, of the few times that he had come into contact with Uriel.

It was the same feeling and he knew it exactly.

Still, there was nothing that should make him feel that way. Uriel's force hadn't been detected in years and other than the few missions the EAC had gone on within the past few years things had been peaceful. Were things perfect? Absolutely not, there were still people who were fighting over Elemental rights and whether or not there should be a registry of some sort for them. But then there were those that did nothing but herald those who had powers who continued to use them for good. The police forces around the country were starting to become aware of what could be used to their advantage when not knowing who they were trying to apprehend.

That being said Sydney and Aaron certainly were getting a lot out of the work they were making on their patents of Element guns and different shields for the police. With that research coming from Nathan's company in New York and the other offices in Canada, Australia, and Japan there was always something new being done. Still, they probably should've been more prepared in terms of _when_ Uriel came back rather than _if._

If anyone walked into Nathan's office at that exact moment they would've seen a 'thousand-yard-stare' on his face. PTSD from what he had seen over the years. After he regained used of his body once more he immediately flew into action and practically pulled his phone from the wall when picking it up and calling his colleagues to his office. It didn't take long before Reed and Renee Jackson and Christian and Kristin Manning were standing in front of him. His friends for so long, who had been the first to encounter Uriel and everything he had done even before their own experiences with Elementals.

"Are you sure?" Reed asked after Nathan explained what had just happened.

Nathan—known to them as Core for a long time—nodded firmly. "I know that feeling. I haven't felt it anytime before now. Not unless Uriel was around."

"But why would he come back now?" Kristin asked. She started to pace Nathan's office, curling her raven hair around her finger. "Why would he wait this long to do something rather than have continued to attack before?"

"Gaining strength?" Christian suggested.

"No. Because he was stronger than any of our kids thought it would be. Honestly, he probably could've easily defeated them."

"Not unless he knew he couldn't," Nathan pointed out. He moved to the front of his desk and leaned back against it. "As soon as the Oracle Element was revealed he probably had a plan in mind…a long one by the looks of it."

"Did Akito say anything like this would happen?" Reed asked. He picked up a glass ball that rested on Nathan's desk and started to roll it back and forth in his hand. "I reckon there may be something out there that he may know to help us."

"I don't think so," Renee replied with a low sigh. She ran her fingers through her hair, thinking back to everything her and Kristin's grandfather had told them while growing up. "Not anything that I can immediately remember." She reached out and grabbed the glass ball out of her husband's hand before he could drop it, knowing how clumsy tendencies seemed to increase when he was under pressure.

"That's not the point that's directly worrying me," Nathan admitted. He went back to his computer and turned the monitor around to point out the article he had been looking at. It detailed the attacks within Afghanistan and how Zack and Cody had gone to increase peace speaking while there as well as Diamond's injuries that had been sustained. "Over there…in other countries…peace between the warring sides are slowly waning. I'm afraid that the UN will soon have problems and the people will eventually lose their belief in Elementals again."

"Even with Zack and Cody and the others doing so much to help," Reed agreed. "Peace among the world being a goal that was almost made everyone's going aggro now."

"Can't be too much of a coincidence that Uriel is showing up again," Christian agreed.

"We still don't know that for sure," Kristin pointed out.

Nathan nodded and went to a different program on his computer hat read energy output from elements over the world. So far he didn't see anything that was too much of an issue, but there was still the fact that Uriel had managed to get around without anyone detecting him for so long. And with nine years of absence under his belt, chances are he had some new tricks up his sleeve as well.

* * *

 **Boston**

Zack wiped sweat off his forehead and backed up so that Cody re-set himself after having been knocked flat on his back. But he made the one mistake that no one should make in a fight, turning his back on his opponent. Next thing he knew, Cody had tackled him to the ground and wrestled him around until his arms were pinned behind his back by Cody's legs.

Growling in frustration, Zack managed to wiggle himself free and flipped back over so that it was Cody's turn to back away from him. Then the two shuffled forward at the same time and were back to their fast-paced fighting. While Cody was more fluid with his movements and watched where Zack was going to go, Zack took a more aggressive approach to their fighting. Their wrists and ankles smacked against each other as they effectively blocked the blow each of them were trying to land each other. At one point Zack had the upper hand with a continuously rampage against Cody but soon found himself rolling on his back to knock Cody off-balance as he tried to knock him down.

The two did a kip-up back to their feet then twisted around on the balls of their feet to high-kick each other. Their heels smacked against each other with so much force that they were propelled back in the other direction and landed on their stomachs on the ground.

With a heavy sigh, Zack rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He rested his hands on his stomach as he tried to catch his breath. Beside him Cod did the same before sitting up, resting his arms around his knees.

"Good job," Cody congratulated him. "That was a close one."

"I was going to say the same thing," Zack agreed. "You definitely aren't a wimpy fighter anymore." He chuckled as Cody slapped him on the arm and sat up as well. Shaking his hair out of his face, Zack smiled as Cody winced. Apparently he was sweating a little bit more than he thought. Then again, since he got his powers he always did run a bit hot.

"Ugh, Zack, watch it!" Cody grabbed the bottom of his shirt and started to rub it around his face. "Now I have to mist!" He held up his hands and flicked his fingers as if sprinkling water on his face. Zack smiled in amusement as a fine mist came out and spritz himself in the face.

"Geez, you're such a primadonna sometimes,"

"Tell me what primadonna means, and spell it, and I'll give you a response."

Zack ran a hand over his face and flicked it towards Cody, making him squeal once more. But his squeal was so loud that the other gym goers turned their way, looking at them funny. Cody's face turned red and he turned away, holding a hand up beside his face to protect himself. Zack was surprised Cody didn't create a mist in the air and turn invisible instead. Then again, they still tried not to use their powers too much in public. Not because they weren't allowed to—elementals were more open with their powers now more than ever—but because they didn't want to bring any unwanted attention to themselves.

Being a 'celebrity' in that way was more difficult than they ever thought.

The twins got up from the floor mats and walked over to the bench where their things were stored. Cody straddled the bench and watched in slight fascination as Zack grabbed his towel and continued to wipe at his face. "Dude, have you _always_ sweated this much?"

"Not since I was fourteen and fat," Zack replied. Once he had his sweating under control he put his towel over his head. "Too much body heat, I always have to be careful when working out, too. It's a nightmare when you've got two fire elementals in a confined space." Cody gave him a look and Zack gave him one back. "I _meant_ when Jayden and Emma try to sleep in our bed too, it gets freaking boiling in there."

Cody smiled, thankful that he didn't have that problem. Not that things for him were much easier. If he got too frustrated or lost control for even a second he managed to have a rainstorm fall overhead. After it happening in the middle of a meeting with some really important investors he at least knew how to keep it from happening again. However, as of late there were so many false alarms with his first kid coming that his co-workers were all waiting to see if a new downpour would open overhead. He got more than enough umbrellas as a gag gift from the Christmas party the year before.

It was getting closer, any day now and he was going to be a father. He was going to be in charge of a new human life. A new human life who may or may not have powers. Who…

Oh God, he couldn't think about it right now.

Cody took a sip from his water bottle and asked, "Have you had any other nightmares since the last one?"

Zack, who was practically tonguing the lid of his water bottle, which made Cody cringe, shook his head. He burped when he finished drinking and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. "No, thank God. I mean, it wasn't that long ago but no, I haven't had another one." He suddenly looked very serious. "I'm not even sure if it was a regular nightmare or if it's from Uriel. I think I may have jumped the gun on it."

"You wouldn't have brought it up if you weren't worried about it," Cody pointed out.

"I know. But you could probably tell me about a million reasons as to why I suddenly have a nightmare then rather than before."

Cody shrugged.

But it was true, there were plenty of reasons for someone to have a nightmare. Anxiety, depression, PTSD. But then there were things as simple as having a late-night snack, certain medications, high blood pressure, sleep deprivation…everything that they probably suffered from at some point. Especially after having gone to Afghanistan on their last mission. There was so much they had seen over there that they couldn't speak about and would never be able to again unless the person they were speaking to had clearance for it. Then there were things he never wanted to think about again, the images flashing through his mind when he had too much time to himself.

"Like, how am I supposed to tell if it was a regular nightmare compared to the ones that Uriel sends out?" Zack continued.

Cody shrugged again. "You don't. But here's the thing. There's plenty of stressors that can cause a nightmare. But the one form Uriel is more specific and besides…it may be because you're Gattaca's descendent. Technically anyway."

"And that because you're the one who's the descendent of Geneva you're not getting any?" Zack asked.

"Well, if you ask Mom and Dad about things they've seen or done lately, it may have some basis to it," Cody pointed out. "And besides, I did say technically." As it was they weren't _exactly_ descendents of the children of the rulers of the Element World. If so, Cody more than likely would've been born a girl rather than a guy. But as far as they knew there were still many different limitations to Mother Nature, Father Time, Geneva, and Gattaca's existence and all of it had to do with Bailey.

She was the one who had the ability to borrow Gevena's and Gattaca's powers as they were a sort of guardian to her. But they weren't sure about that either.

"If they're as bad as you say I'm glad I haven't had any nightmares," Cody remarked. He let out a long sigh and rested his arms on his thighs. "It's not a bad thing that you're worried about it and I know you think you're overreacting but I think we know by now that it's better to be safe than sorry."

Zack nodded in agreement, tugging at the drawstring of his pants. Then he lifted his hand, allowing a fireball to appeared over it. He twisted and turned his hand back and forth, following the trace of fire as it went. "Do you think Diamond's going to be okay?"

"Oh, is _that_ what's bothering you?" Cody asked.

Zack nodded.

Cody sighed heavily. "It wasn't our fault, Zack. We just couldn't get to him in time. If there was anything we could do differently…it may not have helped much either. You can't dwell on it."

"We don't know if he's going to survive, Cody. He's one of the biggest allies we have; he knows more about what's going on than we do. If something happens to him…we're going to be at a severe disadvantage. Not to mention we'd be losing another one of our friends. I don't think we can handle that again."

"No," Cody agreed. "Not after all of the others." Not just Koto and Max, not just the Jacksons's and Crystal's parents from long ago. But all of the others that got caught in the crossfire; those who were trying to kill them, those that were innocent, those that seemed to be nothing more than pawns of the game they seemed to be playing. And it hurt every time. Cody tried to go to every funeral that came around but as more and more of them continued he didn't have the emotional energy to keep going.

Who knows when it would be for his own family; if something happened to Zack in battle, if his mother and father got hurt, if something happened to him or his family…

"So what do we do?" Zack pressed.

Cody frowned. He hated being at such a disadvantage. "There's nothing we can do until something happens." He reached out and tapped his brother on the arm. "But we can be prepared. Let's go 'round again."

"Fine, if you want your butt kicked again!" Zack teased. He got up and walked back onto the mat, stretching his arms as he did so.

"Sorry, but I think that was a tie."

"I don't tie, I win. We're going to settle the score."

Cody rolled his eyes. Zack always was the competitive one, he couldn't take anything less than seriously when it came to sports. "Fine." He started to get up as well, stopping when he heard his cell phone start to ring. Leaning over the bench he searched in his gym bag until he found it and glanced at the screen. How could he have missed so many texts? Then his frown turned into a wide-eyed grimace as the words on the texts registered with him.

"What?" Zack asked. He noticed the look on Cody's face and walked closer. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Cody said. He swallowed hard. "I think Crys is having the baby."

* * *

 **A/N:** I think from now on I'm going to state where each section is taking place (ie New York, Boston, Canada, Australia, Japan, etc.) just so it's not so confusing as to where things are going on. I'll at least try it in this chapter. If it doesn't work then I won't keep doing it, but if it does I'll continue.

 **-Riles**


	4. Though I can't help but wonder and worry

CHAPTER FOUR

* * *

 **Boston**

* * *

"Tape, do you _have_ to eat so loudly!"

Startled, Tapeworm slowly lowered his hamburger back to his plate. Max laughed watching him slowly slide down in his seat as well. Crystal glared at him as she let in and out a few long breaths, holding her hand son her stomach as she paced back and forth along the table. Cody trotted along behind her, placing his hand on her back to rub it every now and then, but otherwise keeping a safe distance when her discomfort would be turned on her.

"Sorry," he apologized. Lifting his thumb he jerked it over to Zack, who quickly balled up his trash and threw it away before she could turn on him. "I didn't realize I was."

"It's just the hormones," Cody said to reassure his friends. "And being really excited to see our baby, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Crystal mumbled. She came to the end of the dining room and turned on her heel, starting back in the opposite direction again. "I can't believe I haven't dilated yet. Do you feel her kicking? You can't because my stomach is hard as a rock and these contractions are killing me! She needs to come now."

"Um, Crys, maybe you should calm down a little," Cody suggested. "Your being so angry probably isn't going to help matters much." Crystal glared at him again. "I'm just saying in your condition it's probably not a good idea too—"

"I don't have a condition, Cody. I'm pregnant."

"I mean, I hope he was there when it happened," Zack commented, making Tapeworm and Max laugh. He abruptly stopped when this time both Cody and Crystal glared at him. "Wow. Have you been practicing that or have you been together too long?"

"I seem to remember, Zack, when Riles was giving birth that she nearly refused to let you in the room because you were hovering so much."

Zack's eyebrows rose as Max and Tapeworm turned away. "The first time or second time?" He asked flatly. Crystal reached out her hand and placed it on Cody's arm. She gave him a pointed look and Cody's face immediately paled. He hadn't wanted to go so far, it just slipped out. Cody started to stammer out a quick apology and Zack held up his hand. "It's alright, bro, I know what you mean. I guess I'm not as over it as I thought I would be." He sat up straight, clearing his throat. "What about you guys? Are you adopting soon?"

"Way to get the attention off you, Zack," Max said with a roll of her eyes. She leaned back in her seat, looking around the hospital's cafeteria. "Does anyone else think of how weird this is? Years ago we were sitting in class at Buckner Middle School having a normal day which ended up not being so normal at all. And now we're here." She let out a low, humorless laugh. "I'm sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?"

Cody held his breath, looking over at Zack. Zack glanced back at him but didn't say anything in response either. He knew the two should've said something about their suspicions of Uriel being back, but so far they had no proof of it neither did they know for sure it was his energy they were sensing. As far as they knew it could've been someone even stronger than him who had something more dastardly planned. Bailey was going to head back to the Element World to see for herself but Crystal's going into labor had derailed those plans a little bit.

But she was right, it was kind of weird. For most of their lives they had been normal kids who grew up relatively normally. (For him and Zack, as normal as kids whose mother was a traveling singer could be before ending up at the Tipton hotel). Then before they knew it, they met a bunch of kids who had a view of a life that was much different from theirs; filled with fantasy and adventure that he and Zack could only dream about while reading some of his many comic books. Back then things had been fairly simple as the were just trying to take down Koto, Reihu, and the rest who had been working for Core with WingzCorp who tried to capture them. Trying to get answers of his plans. It was a secret Zack and Cody kept fairly well, their awakening and the powers they eventually received.

Then Max and Tapeworm had awakened and fallen into the start of their long battle as well. Zack and Cody were relieved at first, glad to have someone else who could be in on the secret along with them, starting out in a world that none of them knew while growing to understand their new friends and the mentoring place they were suddenly thrust in. It had been fun at first, Cody couldn't deny that. Being able to work on controlling his powers and slowly figuring out how it all worked was the most fun he had in a while. Then reality set in of what they were up against and it continued to grow and grow as time went on.

The last nine years had been their first chance of freedom in a sense. But, like Max, he wondered what it was that would have that happiness ripped away from them. _Probably not much,_ Cody thought to himself with a degree of shame. _It's already starting to ruin one of the happiest days of my life._

"We shouldn't think of that now, dude," Tapeworm said quickly. "We have more important things to think about. Like what powers this one's going to get."

"If she even has powers," Cody reminded him. "It can skip her."

"So far it looks like it's skipped everyone but Lennox," Max said.

"I don't think we're that lucky," Zack said.

He stretched his arms over his head, his back already starting to hurt from having sat there for so long. He and Cody immediately hurried to the hospital when Cody had gotten Crystal's texts. Once the word spread the others wanted to come in too, but Cody said not to worry about it until she was in active labor, especially as the majority of them had their own children to look after. Carey and Kurt had arrived shortly after Zack and Cody did and were looking at the new babies in the nursery, Cody insisting on it so that they wouldn't make him or Crystal too nervous over the prospect of another grandchild for them. Christian, Kristine, Reed, and Renee were on a flight from New York, coming in as quickly as they could, and the others agreed to wait until they were called in. Though that didn't keep Aaron, who was studying nearby at Boston University to call every half hour to know if there was any progress in his sister's condition.

Zack's words snapped them back to the other serious point of the day; whether or not the newest addition to their group was going to be an elemental. It was something each and every one of them had become accustomed to; having to look for the signs. Seeing if there was a time where an element mark may have sudden appeared due to them being awakened, looking for things that couldn't be explained. So far Lennox was the only one who had shown it at birth; shortly after she had been returned to Julius and Maddie she started to glow white, making the electricity throughout the entire building flicker. It was hard to determine what the exact theme of her powers was until she got older, but they watched her like a hawk, even mulling over the idea of homeschooling her to keep things under wraps until she gained control.

The presence of Elementals within the general public was a lot better than it had been when they were young, but there were still those that became scared either way. It had been almost ten years since Boston was nearly destroyed, and even those ten years made it hard to ignore the pain and fear the unknown still caused.

"Too bad we haven't found a way to determine it before the baby's born," Crystal said. She reached out, gently rubbing her hands over her protruding stomach. "There've been so many advancements in what we _can_ do with our powers, but not that yet. It'd be helpful."

Cody recognized the worry in her voice and reached out to gently rub Crystal's stomach as well. He rested his hands over hers. "Everything's going to be okay, Crys. If she does end up having powers, we'll figure out what to do."

Max chuckled to herself. "I think you may want to figure out what you're going to do now." She pointed towards the floor where a puddle suddenly formed along Crystal's slipper covered feet, dampening the end of her hospital ground. "Because I think your water just broke."

There was nothing short of chaos once Crystal got back to her hospital room and Cody summoned the doctors and nurses to know about her water breaking. Once that was done Zack, Max, and Tapeworm took it upon themselves—and to relieve a little stress from Cody and Crystal—to let everyone know to get to the hospital soon as the baby would be coming. Once everyone descended onto the hospital and towards the hospital room the exasperated nurses then declared that only family members could go back; not knowing how large the Martin-Manning family was, especially when all of the nuisances of in-laws came about.

Finally, after three hours of pushing, Cassidy Blue Martin was born weighing a healthy six pounds and four ounces while being eighteen inches long. Her cries were immediately shushed when cleaned and swaddled, and rested against Crystal's chest. Cody, who stood over her, grinned down at his newborn daughter, studying the planes of her face to see if he could get a definitive look into how she looked like the two of them. Her blue eyes were cracked open, pale pink lips gently pursing every few seconds. Then her eyes fluttered shut and she pressed her lips together.

Cody chuckled to himself, watching her tiny movements. It was actually happening, in a moment he was a father, responsible for a new life, and having the new title added to his name along with husband, brother, and son.

* * *

 **Element World**

* * *

That feeling of chaos spread to more than just the Boston; as a matter of fact it had a further reach than originally thought. In The Element World Mother Nature and Father Time looked out over their courtyard from the balcony of their quarters. From where they stood they could see multiple parts of their kingdom the farmlands, the untouched fields, the forests, and the sparkling sheen of the ocean in the distance. From that distance they saw their noblemen and women doing their duties around the courtyard while their attendants followed and did their duties as well.

Mother Nature smiled and turned away from the window. "It's been a while since there has been anything to celebrate. I believe we're overdue."

"I agree," Father Time said. "There's a lot to be thankful for around here. The Element World and this Kingdom have been safe for the past nine years due to the work that shoe on Earth have been doing. Even with Bailey's help to come over periodically to enhance the barrier that separates the worlds makes it easier to continuously survey the link between both worlds."

"They've been doing increasingly good work with their abilities over there," Mother Nature agreed. Her ivory colored gown gently slid across the floor as she took a few steps towards the door. "Though I can't help but wonder and worry."

"Why worry?"

"As Bailey has told us, as we've been able to sense, there's been some issues over there. Not only has the EAC taken a big hit with their resources as well as their personnel, but apparently Zack and Cody have felt that Uriel may have made his return." Her smile faded and she turned to face her husband. "There haven't been any signs of his appearance yet but there hadn't been any signs of his defeat as well."

Father Time regarded his wife and the kingdom's matriarch with a tense glance. So much so that a vein near his jaw started to throb. "Is this something you'd like me to look into?"

"Not right now. Not only do I not believe it's something we should be wary of spreading here at this moment, but we need to make absolute sure that Uriel is alive." She fixed him with a pointed stare. "And you know what details doing that sort of check."

Father Time nodded.

That was a last resort sort of thing, the sort of energy that was needed to do so. As it was, Mother Nature's and Father Time's abilities would be in jeopardy if Uriel was to come back. Their powers couldn't last without each other and if one ever came to be the front runner in the balance…

"This may be something we'll need Geneva and Gattaca to come back for," Mother Nature mused. She reached up her hand and gracefully ran her fingers over her chin. "Their presence here could be very helpful as time goes on. As it is we need to watch for the newest one that has been born. The moment she awakens…"

"If she does," Father Time pointed out.

"Now, darling, even you know these things happen for a reason. Just as there was a reason for Zack and Cody to ultimately have their powers revealed to them. They may not have worked out the way we intended, the way they were prophesied to go, but it still worked."

"The Book of Esme could give us a better idea," Father Time pointed out.

"I'd rather not have Bailey drop everything to come to our aid once more or for her to be left helpless if there was anything that was to happen down there." Mother Nature shook her head, finally coming to a decision. "No, we'll continue to keep watch. Once we know—"

There was the sudden sound that resembled a freight train coming towards them. Through the open window a strong gust of wind blew through the master chamber, ruffling the bedspread and the tapestry that sat on the walls. Mother Nature and Father Time exchanged a glance before going back to the balcony and turned their gaze towards the sky.

For a moment it looked like the stars were shooting across the sky in a spectacular show. Then the realization of the threat of danger came upon the two when they remembered the brightness of the day that had been snuffed in seconds. The sky continued to swirl and around, bright colors of light mixing as the seconds passed, much like shooting stars, but showcasing an even deadlier and disastrous significance.

For they have seen this happen once before.

When the Element World had been destroyed the first time.

* * *

 **A/N:** After this chapters are longer, I needed to set up a few things first. I also noticed that through most of my Suite Life stories (since deleting the bulk of ones we used to have) I haven't done a lot of scenes of just Zack, Cody, Max, and Tapeworm hanging out and talking as they had done when they were first introduced on the show. So it was done here.

 **-Riles**


	5. Things were about to get a lot worse

CHAPTER FIVE

* * *

 **Boston**

"Can you help me to the vending machine?"

Sydney stood up and reached out his arm so Aaron could grab onto his elbow. Reaching out his other hand, he grabbed is cane and gently placed it on the floor to sweep back and forth while the cousins shuffled out of the rows of tables to leave the classroom.

The exited the room and walked to the end of the hallway. Aaron carefully placed his cane against the wall and started to pick out some change. "Do you think we'll figure out anything else about Diamond soon?" He asked.

Sydney shrugged, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "I dunno, you know we only have a certain level of clearance for that sort of information." He paused for a second. "Not that that's ever stopped us before."

"I was going to say," Aaron agreed. He stated to feed the change into the machine. "But if it's something so bad that he had to be put into the hospital…then things over there are worse than we thought. And it's only a matter of time until we have to head out." He bobbed his head back and forth. "I could use a break from school."

"If we wanted a break we could just graduate and get it over with," Sydney remarked. He blew his hair from his face and smiled. "We might not be able to have any more funding for our projects but that's a small price to pay." Once Aaron put the rest of his change into the machine, Sydney reached out and pressed his fingertip into the combination of buttons that would release the candy his cousin was after. "Not that that'd be so hard, either, we'd just use our dad's stuff."

"Nepotism as it's finest, eh?" Aaron replied. He reached out and grabbed the candy that sat in the base of the vending machine. "You don't think it's anything we should worry about? That we're not being told about Diamond?"

"If Zack and Cody aren't saying anything I reckon it's something they'll let us know later. Those blokes haven't not told us things we haven't figured out later yet." Sydney crossed his arms. "It must've been really bad if Zack's not saying anything. You know he can't keep a secret."

Aaron gave him a funny look. "Is Noah still mad about him ruining the proposal?"

"Oh yeah."

Sydney gently grabbed Aaron's arm and walked the two to the bench that sat on the other side of the hallway so Aaron could eat his candy. He stretched out his legs, crossing them at the knee. It was so weird to be back at Boston University when there was so much going on. Not only did he have a new niece he wanted to dote on, but there were numerous research projects he was working on, not to mention the link between their world and the element world he was consistently watching. Not that there was anything really to watch, he and Aaron made sure things continued to stay safe between them by the day but it was good to know how it all worked out.

What was even weird was how the closely they worked with their parents on it, especially considering how much time they had spent apart in their childhoods. Sydney had always dreamed of being able to have his father back and to work alongside him, but also found it to be strange as well. Strange in how similar he truly was to his parents; no matter how many times people had pointed it out to him it wasn't anything he could truly see until it was right in front of his face.

He knew Aaron felt the same way to his mom, especially the way he still seemed to stick by her side when they were working together, as if to make sure she wasn't going anywhere. Twenty-years old and they still worried whether or not their parents were going to go away. As if the last nine years meant nothing.

"How're things with the new baby around?" Sydney asked. He started to smile a little. "Has Crys freaked out yet?"

"She's only been home with Cassidy for a couple of days and mom's been helping a lot. She's here while dad went back to New York to finish up some things," Aaron explained. "Didn't they tell you? I thought that was already planned out? Aunt Renee is supposed to be coming down and Uncle Reed is supposed to be going back this weekend."

"I'm twenty years old and everyone still treats me like I'm a baby, so I usually don't get told something until its way past the time I should've known," Sydney said. He chuckled. It wasn't anything he fretted about too much. He found things out a lot faster than his family gave him credit for, it was always funny to play dumb and watch their looks of horror when they realized they forgot again. "Besides, you know my dad, he's incredibly smart but has a tendency to forget things. Same with Julius but he's _not_ as smart."

The two laughed.

Sydney started to say something else then stopped when a chill rolled down his spine.

Something was happening. He could feel it. Twisting in his seat, Sydney turned to Aaron, who had stiffened beside him as well. With his free hand he reached out and frantically tried to grab his cane. When he finally had it in his hand, he held out his other arm and Sydney grabbed it before the two hurried from the hallway, leaving their school books behind, in a race to get to the science labs.

Once arriving, Sydney dropped down into the station he and Aaron had commandeered at the beginning of the semester and brought up the program they worked with, detailing the energies that moved between the two worlds as well as was a sort of GPS for the rest of them. It was something the two had created shortly after being inducted into the EAC despite the many years it sat in a sort of beta testing. There were so many factors that had to be worked through but it hadn't failed since then. Looking over the map, Sydney made sure all of his family and friends were accounted for before looking over the rest of the map.

Nothing seemed to be so out of the ordinary.

"What?" Aaron asked. He shifted his headphones over his ears, where a voice read out the information the program was giving. "It doesn't seem like anything's wrong."

"I know, that's what's so weird," Sydney murmured. "I don't have these feelings for nothing, yeah?"

Aaron nodded.

Sydney closed his eye, focusing on SpiritSaru's energy levels. They were strong, similar to what it had been that morning, but something was a little off, he could tell. In a bright flash of light, SpiritSaru appeared on his shoulder. He walked down his ward's arm and landed on the table, starting to pace back and forth, restlessly.

"Something's wrong," SpiritSaru said. "I can feel it."

Sydney frowned. "Your elemental link must keep you tied to the Element World no matter how long you've been away. Is it that bad?"

"It's bad," Aaron murmured. He reached out a hand and placed it on Sydney's shoulder. His palm was cold, seeping into Sydney's skin, hand shaking. "I…I'm not sure what it is…something's happening over there. We won't be able to get through." He took in a shuddering breath. "Do we have anyone over there?"

"No." Sydney double checked the map on the computer. "We're all over here. What are you seeing?"

Aaron licked his lips, pressed his lips together. He took in a deep breath through his nose, his cloudy eyes shifting back and forth. His grasp tightened around Sydney's shoulder, his cousin could feel his shaking increase as the seconds passed, almost as if he were being possessed. Finally, it stopped and when Aaron turned to look at Sydney again, it was almost as if his eyesight had been completely restored.

He looked directly into Sydney's eyes with an expression Sydney hadn't seen before.

"I think it was a premonition," Aaron said slowly. "We've seen some bad stuff before, but this will be really bad. I think…I think everyone's going to be destroyed this time."

"But what did you see?" SpiritSaru demanded. "Was it Uriel?"

Aaron shook his head.

"I saw nothing." His voice came out in a whisper. "I heard screaming. Horrible, tortured screaming. But I saw nothing."

* * *

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop putting soap bubbles in the pool?"

Bailey sighed as she stepped through the front doors of the Tipton, nodding at Norman as she went. Mother's intuition aside, it didn't take long for her to figure out that Finn had managed to get on Mr. Moseby's nerves one too many times. He stood in front of the manager's desk, wringing his hands together, something tucked in the back pocket of his jeans as Mr. Moseby spoke to him through gritted teeth.

He held his hands over a plant that stood on the desk next to him and wrung his tie out into the pot. Even from where Bailey was she could see the soap bubbles and water drop into the pot and splatter onto his desk top. Mr. Moseby practically growled at the puddle left on the desk and dropped the wet tie aside.

"Let alone the jacuzzi," he said. He cleared his throat and stepped around the desk. Bailey brought a hand up to cover her mouth. Not only was there a big wet spot on the front of his shirt, but it appeared that he hadn't gotten over his attire from the Tipton hotel as his shorts still didn't reach his knees. "I bet I don't have to look to far to know which _hooligans_ you go the idea from. But I'll have you know that at the Tipton hotel we don't tolerate these shenanigans."

Bailey then started to walk quickly towards the two. She had to defend her son a little bit even if she knew she had to punish him. _He's definitely gotten his mischief streak from his father._ Bailey reached Finn and ran a hand through his hair before resting her arms on his shoulders. "Mr. Moseby, I'm sorry but—"

Mr. Moseby held up his hand to cut her off. "If you want to do a prank right, then you have to do it right!" He lowered himself to Finn's height and looked him in the eye. "I suggest blue food coloring in the pool. If it's done right, no one will notice until they get out."

Finn laughed.

Mr. Moseby ruffled Finn's hair then stood up to look Bailey in the eye. "I've seen so much that Zack and Cody threw my way, I don't think there's anything else anyone can do that I haven't already seen." He paused, rubbing the back of his head. "Then again, London still manages to surprise me on a daily basis."

"What's she done now?" Bailey couldn't help but smile fondly at the thought of her ex-roommate.

They hadn't been on the SS Tipton that long before Bailey got caught up in the Element world with her friends. No matter how many times they fought, how many times London managed to insult Bailey for her fashion sense and her hometown values, how many times Bailey got one over on London for her questionable level of smarts, they were friends and she missed her.

"Surprisingly, she's invested a lot of the Tipton fortune into the military," Mr. Moseby said. He held up his hands as Bailey's eyes widened. "I know. This is London we're talking about, but with the investments she's manage to increase the weaponry and machines that have been used to stave off the Elemental attacks that've been going on."

Tilting her head to the side, Bailey took the moment to think things through. She thought hard about it. There hadn't been anything so bad about what they've been working on lately. Or else the information would've moved through the grapevine. Of course there was an issue of Uriel potentially being back. She hadn't been able to lose that feeling that sensed it yet. Still, Zack and Cody hadn't found any sort of real proof he _was_ back. So they were keeping it quiet until they knew for sure.

"You think it's been getting that bad?" Bailey asked.

"How often have you all been sent out lately?"

Chewing her lower lip, Bailey thought for a moment. It hadn't been so many times over the last year, but enough so that she noticed a pattern. They were spending more and more time over there. Her last trip had been two months, Zack's and Cody's recent one had been three, and before that it was only a couple of weeks at a time. Of course! She couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before. It was like they were trying to pull one over on them.

They needed to talk to Core, and fast.

"I've got to get Finn inside," Bailey said. She ran her hand over her hair. "I'll see you later, Mr. Moseby." She took a step closer to him. "Thanks for going easy on him."

"I wasn't joking." Mr. Moseby walked back behind his desk. "I've seen Zack and Cody do a lot more things than I thought was humanly possible. Nothing can phase me anymore." As if to prove his point, he pulled open the drawer beside him and a set of fake, paper snakes came shooting out. Bailey jumped and took a step back while Mr. Moseby barely blinked.

Finn laughed again.

"I'll see you soon, Bailey."

"See you."

Bailey took Finn's hand and led him into the elevator. "You put soap bubbles in the Jacuzzi?"

"No," Finn said. He shook his head back and forth, blonde fringe flying into his eyes. He blinked up at her as mischievously as she had ever seen. "I put them in the pool. Someone had it stuck to them and _then_ got into the Jacuzzi."

Sighing, Bailey reached out her hand. Finn mimicked her sigh and took out his bottle of soap and handed it over to his mother. Bailey smiled and gave him a kiss on the head, which he quickly wiped away. Then he turned his wide eyes to her and Bailey was suddenly struck with how much he looked like his father. When Finn was born and through most of his childhood he looked like her; everyone said it, even she saw it. She could see him as a direct male version of her; hair color, face shape, eye color, facial expressions, laughter…but now it was all starting to morph into his and Bailey wasn't sure she could handle that.

"Mama? Are you going to leave again?"

Bailey didn't know if she could handle that either. The last time she had left, she thought he would've forgotten. It wasn't so long; she was going to be back soon. They talked to each other every day. But she knew how sad he was, he would cry practically every time they had to go. It didn't help that he would stay with Kurt and Carey when she was gone, and not with any of his own family. He saw his friends every day but she knew it didn't help.

She was surrounded by her friends all the time when on the SS Tipton but nothing was better than that memory of home. Cody re-creating the mulch festival to her had been so sweet, so was being able to see Moose again for a little bit. It was the recharge she needed. He needed more than that, especially since she was all he had.

"I don't know, Finny. I might have to."

Finn pouted, turning away from her.

"If I do it won't happen for a long time. It's not my turn, it's someone else's." Bailey led them back to their suite and she sat down on the couch, noticing Finn's bag. "How was school?"

"It was okay." Finn shrugged.

"Did anyone give you a hard time today?"

He shook his head.

"You know you can tell me if they do."

Finn blew out of his mouth, his breath moving his fringe from his forehead. "I don't have any powers. But they keep telling me they're afraid that I'm going to cheat in a game because of them or that I'll hurt them or something."

Bailey ran her hands over her face. " _I_ don't even have powers. Geneva and Gattaca choose to lend them to me when they want."

"I know. I keep telling them that."

 _You'd think by now people would be more welcoming to our powers,_ Bailey thought. Still, she wasn't sure that was quite it. "Is that it?"

"Well." Finn twisted his hands together. "They're my friends; they just don't want me to use them to cheat. Otherwise we get along really well." He sat up straight. "I was invited to a sleepover on Friday, can I go?"

Bailey smiled. _Just like children. They can be made at the thought of cheating at a game but minutes later they'll go and hang out with each other as if nothing happened._ Bailey nodded towards Finn's backpack. "Finish your homework and I'll let you know."

Sliding to the floor, Finn picked up his backpack and started to take out his work books. "Will you help me?"

"I want you to try some of it first and then I'll help you out." Bailey looked over his math homework as he took it out and looked it over. She had always found academics to be easy, even fun. But now that they were doing common core math…that was ridiculous? She could figure out things eight times faster her way and encouraged Finn to do that, but then his teachers had to mark him down for not following Common Core, making him suffer instead.

 _And to think, you wanted to be a teacher,_ Bailey thought.

A much different career than being a travel writer.

Bailey closed her eyes as Geneva's and Gattaca's auras changed.

She knew then.

Things were about to get a lot worse.

* * *

 **A/N:** Writing Bailey as a single-mother is really interesting to me, especially thinking of how she would handle it as well as who the father could be. I think all of them with children is just fun for me to work with and I can't wait to keep going with that.

 **-Riles**


	6. We've already had a plan set in place

CHAPTER SIX

* * *

 **Boston**

Core swept his hair off his forehead before letting out an agonized sigh. He should've been used to this by now, there being so many more advancements than he and his colleagues could keep up with. But with Sydney's news about Aaron's premonition from the Element World, along with Geneva and Gattaca's auras changing, he knew something was bad.

He looked over the monitor in front of him and shook his head. This was getting so messy so fast. A part of him wondered if this was happening all because there was a balance somewhere that was being disrupted. That having had all of the Elementals awaken over the last couple of years have worsened things. Uriel was definitely the reason behind all of this but it was hard to figure out a way to find him when detecting him in the first place had been so difficult.

"What are you thinking?" Reihu asked from his side.

Core's eyebrow lifted upwards and he turned to the young man. "About what? Uriel?"

"Mhm."

"Nothing to do other than wait. He's been gone for nine years and we have no ways to figure out where he is or even how he was aware of these set of Elementals in the first place," Core explained. He looked up as the door to the office opened and Reed, Renee, Kristin, Christian, and Rhuben entered the room. "You hear anything?"

"No," Reed said. He ran his hands through his hair. "I reckon Uriel is doing as much as he can to make sure he's not found."

Rhuben nodded at her father. "I couldn't even sense him. Sydney and Aaron explained to us what was going on. Not even when I went to Bailey to see what was going on but…" she chewed her bottom lip and looked over at her husband, who nodded back to her. "Cannon and Reese have been complaining about having bad dreams lately. Not so far as it to be nightmares, but bad dreams and they happen more frequently then I'd like, yeah?"

"Nothing with Axel or Averey?" Renee asked her daughter.

"No. Nothing with them. Averey sleeps like a log and Axel has been sleeping in our bed so we'd know if something was going on in seconds. I reckon he doesn't wake up unless one of us moves."

"So if they're getting nightmares, wouldn't you be able to sense if Uriel were around?" Kristin asked.

"You'd think. But his powers may extend to more than just giving kids nightmares because he's trying to take them over."

"No one said he was doing it just to take them over," Reihu suddenly pointed out. He rubbed his chin, starting to pace back and forth. "Maybe it's used as a warning. I mean, this is the guy who has the power to completely stand against Mother Nature and Father time why would he just sit back and scare a bunch of people when he could probably blow up the world like that?" He snapped his fingers then turned to Core. "You didn't see anything like that when working with WingzCorp?"

"My intentions at the time weren't to see whether or not there was an end all be all Elemental trying to kill everyone," Core said evenly.

"No, it was just to experiment on those who you brought in to try and make your own," Reihu shot back.

"Not completely," Christian said calmly. "The other part was to work and find the rest of you and try to keep an eye on your. But communication has never been Nathan's strong suit."

Core smirked back at him.

"So what are we going to do?" Kristin asked.

"Continue to monitor what's going on with the Element World," Rhuben said. "Stay in touch with Bailey to see if Geneva and Gattaca can do anything. If we can't get there then we'll just have to wait for Uriel to make his appearance and it won't take too long to do it." She closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I can't believe it's happening again, though, I thought we'd be able to have our kids grow up and not be afraid of things like this."

"Hate to break it to you, Grape, but the minute any of them start to show they have powers it wasn't going to be easy for them," Reed said. He reached out and gently rubbed her shoulder. "Especially with the new measures that have been put in place for at schools and in other areas of social life."

Rhuben twisted her mouth to the side and nodded.

Since the last time they had fought through Boston it was hard for them to see how much life had changed since they were thirteen. Back then they had to keep their powers and what was happening around them a secret. Now they didn't have to keep any of it a secret, though she and the rest of her friends found it to be a comfort. They didn't use their powers while working, didn't use them when working out, and typically kept its use down to just being when they were home. No point in bringing attention to themselves. Not everyone felt the same way as other Elementals in the city continued to use their powers every now and then.

Due to that, the city had changed fast. The police force had been equipped with some of Sydney's and Aarons inventions in terms of being prepared in case the bank robbery was from an Elemental rather than a 'normal'. The schools were the hardest hit with the change; security cameras were installed in numerous portions of the school, the doors were locked except for the one leading to reception, guests to the school were taken very seriously and attendance was just as serious.

Medical records had become different, parents were instructed to disclose whether or not they were Elementals or if _their_ parents were, as well as instructed to disclose whether or not the child attending the school was. Then it was instructed for them to give the general basis of their powers as well as what they could do specifically. Their blood type and allergies were taken very seriously with it as well.

It was a pain in the ass in terms of medical records but it something that was starting to become adopted in all areas. A law had been passed within the government and multiple businesses around the city were starting to adapt to it as well. So far Cody's and Tapeworm's tech company had managed to keep from having that information enclosed, the health center Riley worked at made it mandatory for her to disclose her information, and so on an so forth.

Zack's construction crew knew about his part in saving the city despite the fact he worked hard not to show any of his powers when he was working out. Sure it became easy to use here or there when he was welding or trying to get rid of extra supplies.

Otherwise, they all tried to live as normally as possible.

Thankfully being a stay at home mom at the time, despite working on line as a music instructor, Ruben was able to watch her kids close enough to see if any of their powers would develop. So far only Lennox had her powers and they were all watching Cassidy like a hawk to see if she awakened. Lennox had awakened at birth, giving new meaning to the phrase 'really lights up a room'. And other Elemental births that had come recently, showcased on the news, showed that of all of the births it seemed to be that Elemental births were few and far between.

"There're some advancements that the rest of us are going to look into then," Core said. "Especially in terms of getting into contact with them over there." He nodded towards the ceiling. "Your input has been greatly helpful, though."

"If anything comes up, you have to tell us right away," Kristen said. "So we can track it."

"If something happens I'm sure you'll be the first ones to know," Rhuben said. She reached out and grabbed onto Reihu's hand. "Ready?" He nodded and she used her powers to move through the shadows of the room, arriving at the Tipton hotel.

The two went to the conference room where Zack, Cody, Bailey, Tapeworm, Max, her cousins, and her siblings already were. It looked the same as it always had, as extravagant as the rest of the business office the Tipton hotel had to offer. Glass walls encompassed the room but damped the sound so not to disturb the others. One side of the room gave a view of the rest of the business office, while the other gave a view of the street when the blinds were open. Notepads were placed at every seat of the table with the gold Tipton logo stamped to each page. Fountain pens that spelled out the Tipton's address and working building manager were with each pad. One wall held a large monitor that could connect to a laptop provided to the room while the other had a whiteboard for any notes needing to be written down.

Rhuben smiled when she saw the hangman game that had been conducted, obviously from Zack and Cody as it had some of the jokes she'd heard them shoot back and forth to each other as guesses and answers. Not to mention what looked like a stick figure drawing of Zack lying on the ground with his head knocked off.

Rhuben and Reiu sat down in the empty seats left over for them and quickly explained where they had been and what they talked about.

"So what's going on?" Patrick asked as silence settled around the room. "It must be something big if you had to have us all meet up rather than video chatting or whatever."

"You know how I said that something was up with Geneva and Gattaca?" Bailey asked. She nodded to the two youngest members of the group. "And that Sydney and Aaron managed to see? Well, something _really_ bad is happening in the Element World. It's slowly being destroyed."

"Do we know by what?" Crystal asked, voice hushed as she very slowly, very quietly rocked Cassidy back and forth in her arms. The two week old's eyes were squeezed shut as she gently moved her gloved hands back and forth, as if in her dream she was running. "We've seen things happen the last time we were there and it was just the balance being broken apart. Is it something like that?"

"No, this is different." Bailey looked at Zack.

Zack took a deep breath. He squeezed his eyes shut as he spoke, almost as if he knew he was about to piss everyone off. "I had a nightmare recently, and the last time that happened was when Uriel was around. I can't be too sure that it _was_ Uriel because I couldn't sense it, but it felt exactly the same."

"And you decided you wanted to wait this long to say something?" Tapeworm asked. His eyebrows lowered in confusion. His reaction was the quietest of everyone else's . Cries of surprise broke through the room. Tapeworm held up his hand, making the others grow silent. "You know the longer we wait with Uriel the worse things get. You remember what happened last time?"

"If you don't remember, last time we nearly got killed!" Max snapped. She ran a hand through her hair. "Uriel is a lot stronger than any of the other guys we've gone after and that was just his Shadow hunters. Who knows what'll happen if we got after just _him_ when he's had this long to watch us? This long to make a plan?"

"I know, I know," Zack said. He waved his hands back and forth, trying to calm down his friends. It wasn't until Cody took a step forward to address them.

"Guys, we know Zack should've said something sooner," he said diplomatically. "And I know I should've said something sooner, too. But you need to take into consideration that there are some things that, clearance wise, we can't say."

"Like what happened with Diamond?" Noah asked.

"Right. And so we have to go speak with him and some of the others within the EAC before we could tell you," Cody said. Zack nudged him in a sign of 'thanks' and Cody nodded. He always was someone who had been able to make sure everyone else kept their heads when things started to go South. "That being said, we need to come up with a plan."

"We've already had a plan set in place if something like this did happen," Sydney said slowly. Cody looked at him for a second then his gaze moved to Cassidy, something flashing in his eyes. Everyone knew what it was exactly; anger at having to go into hiding.

That had always been the last resort plan. If there was a chance that Uriel came back, the first thing they were going to do was get their children out of the way. Take them to a designated area within the EAC to make sure they were well cared for and would stay out of trouble while their parents went off to fight. But it was a last resort for a reason; it was only if their own lives were in absolute danger.

 _We all knew this was coming,_ Rhuben thought. As each of her kids was born she felt the initial sense of fear about it. Thinking 'is this going to be the last one' before it all falls apart. Was it going to be their last moment of happiness? Would things crumble around them? That questions and that feeling went away, falling further and further behind in her proverbial rearview window when each day passed with nothing eventful happening.

No new powers.

No attacks.

Nothing.

Until now.

"We have that plan but it's not to that drastic effect yet," Zack said. "You know how these guys work. They send out a bunch of little guys before the 'big boss battle'." He used air quotes around the words. "The main thing we have to figure out is what's going on in the Element World. We can't help it if we can't pass in through there. And we all know our guardian's powers, and ours by extension are linked to the Element World."

"I've tried teleporting in," Riley said. "And that was a no go. Even DalFang tried to get back. Unless Mother Nature and Father time can open a portal for us it won't work."

"Even if we try to use the Element Stones?" Max asked. "There might be some juice left in them."

"That's a last resort choice if Bailey can't get through with the Book of Esme," Cody explained.

Max nodded. "Sounds about right."

"What?"

"Just that you seem to have an answer for everything. And that you just expect us to go along with what you say since you just got back."

Zack tried not to roll his eyes. He looked even more frustrated than Rhuben remembered seeing him lately. Over the past two weeks he had been over the moon to be back with his family and back to work, but they all knew how much of an adjustment period it was to get re-acclaimed to their normal lives once they were gone. When Rhuben came back from her mission in France she had realized how cold she had gotten when none of her kids wanted to be around her for an extended period of time.

"We all know what it feels like to come back from our missions," Patrick said. "But we can't use that to take things out on each other."

"You can when you use clearance as an excuse," Max insisted. "That's not an excuse. We all understand it, but we all also have the same levels of things we can and can't know. Can we know what happened with Diamond, no because we weren't there, we get that. But things like this, with the Element World, we all need to know so we're all prepared."

Bailey held up her hands. "Right. You're absolutely right. I get that and I'm sorry. I'll tell it to you straight. Geneva and Gattaca are becoming weaker and weaker. And soon your guardians are going to become weaker too, and then the rest of you will be affected by it. If we don't get through to—"

She broke off when Cassidy stirred and started to cry.

But they weren't hungry or uncomfortable cries, but what sounded like terrified screeches.

Zack and Cody looked at each other while everyone else in the room immediately tensed. Everything darkened at that moment, as if the sun was blotted out. But looking out at the street they could all see the sun was still shining. A cold shiver ran down Rhuben's back that made her visibly and violently shake.

This wasn't good.

Before anyone could move the floor darkened beneath their feet. Then it started to shimmer and shake as if there was something there, before it grew, sliding up from the ground. Giant yellow eyes stared around at the room of the Shadowhunter. Then everything happened at once, more Shadowhunters appeared in the room.

Cody quickly directed Crystal to leave the room as she grasped a still crying Cassidy tightly to her chest.

Then everyone leapt into action, like the last time they fought hadn't been nine years before.

It was like it was just yesterday.

* * *

 **A/N:** Writing Bailey as a single-mother is really interesting to me, especially thinking of how she would handle it as well as who the father could be. I think all of them with children is just fun for me to work with and I can't wait to keep going with that.

 **-Riles**


	7. That was the truth they were hiding

CHAPTER SEVEN

* * *

 **Boston**

Patrick shot out a bolt of lightning from his closed fist that immediately obliterated he Shadowhunter in front of him. But it, along with Uriel, had spent nine years gaining strength and wasn't going to be defeated that easily. Instead, when it was blown apart, the leftover particles stared to twist and form into other Shadowhunters.

He clapped his hands together to create a shockwave, blowing apart others. The same thing happened. Patrick frowned and took a step back, trying to figure out what to do. Beside him, Noah turned this way and that, sending strong gusts of wind into Shadwohunters. The wind knocked them around, crashing them into walls and tables, causing them to split apart as well. Everyone else quickly found out the same result of tearing them apart; Tapeworm's vines wrapped around and squeezed Shadowhunters into splitting like amoebas. Fire and Water attacks made the room fill with steam while the Shadowhunters continued to thrive. Even Reihu's ferocity with his claws didn't do much to help.

"This isn't good," Bailey murmured, backing away from a Shadowhunter that reached towards her. Even Geneva's and Gattaca's powers weren't helping her fight. She knew they were getting weaker but _that_ weak? Their powers were tied to the Element World and if it was that bad…who knew if it were possible to get them back before it became too much for them. And what would happen if it _did_ end up happening? What would happen to her? "Nothing we're doing is working."

"We have to keep trying!" Cody called back to her. With that he formed a protective bubble around him and concentrated hard before sending the energy blasts outward, causing microbubbles to shoot out into the Shadowhunters.

Zack reached out and grabbed Cody's shoulder. "She's right. All this is doing is splitting them up. If we keep it up the entire hotel will be filled." He swallowed hard. "If it hasn't been already."

Sydney held out his hand and his Spirit Staff appeared. He lifted it high overhead before tapping the bottom to the ground. A wave of energy shot out, bright light illuminating the room. The Shadowhunters screeched in pain as the light penetrated their bodies before completely disintegrating. Once the room was cleared Sydney stood up straight and with a flick of the wrist, his staff disappeared.

"How'd you do that?" Max asked him.

Sydney glanced at her. "You were talking about the Element Stones before," he pointed out. "I took one of them and Aaron and I infused it into my staff. The leftover power from the one used seems to be what can take these guys down."

"So, the fire and water ones should work for Zack and Cody then?" Patrick sked. "To make them strong enough to take down Uriel?" He waited for Sydney to agree with him, to smile or nod to prove that things could be worked out easily. Instead, Sydney twisted his mouth to the side.

"If I had to assume, as I haven't been able to do any actual research into this, most of the power that was used to create our battle outfits and empower them has the most of our power. But there's enough left for our weapons that's what can take down he Shadowhunters more than our outright powers. Though Zack and Cody should have an easier time with it, especially since they're the ones who are slated to be the ones to ultimately defeat the darkness." Sydney waved his hand. "Again, that's only what I can assume."

"What about Uriel then?" Riley asked. She crossed her arms. "Why send out only the Shadowhunters if the wasn't going to attack?"

Zack pressed his lips together. "To show us he knows where we are," he said finally. He turned to Cody and the two looked at each other for a long moment, silently speaking to each other. They made the decision then and there that they needed to see and speak to Diamond. "And that he can find us no matter what we do." He ran his hands through his hair. "And…that it looks like we'll have to put our plan into action."

"There's nothing else we can do?" Tapeworm asked.

"Look, having to run away with my tail between my legs is the last thing I _ever_ want to do. But in this case, we don't have a choice," Zack said. "Not until we get a game plan." Rapid footsteps headed their way and the group turned just as there was a frantic knock on the door to the conference room. Bailey reached over and pulled it open, almost causing Esteban to fall flat on his face.

"Esteban, what's going on?" Aaron asked. He had grabbed his cane and already was making his way towards the door. His cane swung back and forth along the ground, tapping the tables and walls as he went. "You came up here pretty fast—"

"The daycare," he explained. "The little ones. You need to go now."

Cody turned and grabbed onto Esteban's shoulders, his knuckles turning white. "What about Crystal? Did you see her? Cassidy?" The others hurried out of the room behind him as he jostled the night manager back and forth. "Esteban, did you _see_ them?"

"I'm sorry, Cody, I can't say anymore. You have to go."

Cody let go of Esteban and hurried after his friends. They were all in such a state of panic that not even the thought of using their enhanced speed came to mind. Cody ran out into the Tipton lobby and saw nothing but panic. Guests raced back and forth, holding onto their bags as they went, spilling into the streets. Mr. Moseby shouted towards the guests, telling them to remain calm and reminding them that the Tipton hotel is one of the safest places in the city.

But no one listened. They continued to run.

Cody leaned back and forth, trying to find his friends or any familiar face in the throng of running residents. Truth be told, he was looking for his mother and father. They worked hard to protect him and Zack over the years but now he couldn't even do the same for them. Once he knew his family was okay…

"Cody!"

Cody turned around and felt relief immediately fall over him when he spotted Crystal hurrying his way, using her shoulder to push through the crowd. Finally, she reached him and he wrapped his arms around her before leaning down to pulled the blankets away from Cassidy's face. She looked up at him, her blue eyes shifting back and forth, eyebrows furrowed as if she couldn't understand what the fuss around her was. Cody leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then kissed Crystal. "What happened?" He demanded.

"As soon as I left the room she stopped crying," Crystal explained, mouth moving at a mile a minute. "But everything else started to go weird. That darkness we saw? Wasn't just in the room." She lifted her chin and pointed towards the opening of the Tipton hotel. "Look."

Cody followed her gaze. He didn't have to move to see what she was talking about. Like an eclipse of the sun, darkness was slowly starting to gather in the streets. Scraping and clawing its way like the hand of the boogeyman, wanting to take down everything in its path.

"It's Uriel," Cody finally said. He thought for a moment. "And if what the others were saying is true about the Element World, then he must've taken it over."

"What does that mean for us?"

Cody knew she meant, ultimately, what did that mean for Earth, and what did that mean for everyone who was up in the Element World. It was their way of life now; wondering and worrying about all life on both planets. It was their guardian's home and if their powers were directly connected with it.

Cody took in a deep breath, shook his head. "I don't know," he finally said.

All he knew for sure was that he needed to find his parents.

If anyone had a link to Mother Nature and Father Time directly it was them. And If Bailey was having trouble with the Book of Esme, then it meant their powers were probably going to take a significant hit. Uriel had waited nine years to strike back against them and it was a nine years well spent.

* * *

Zack ducked out of the way of a pillow flying towards his head then caught the other one against his chest. He lowered it from his face and watched as Riley continued to viciously pull at the blankets on their bed to turn it down.

"I said I was sorry," he said once he was sure she was clear of weapons.

"Sorry's not going to do well for us considering we have to fucking leave," Riley shot back. She turned and sat down, eyes flashing. "If we had known there was a chance of this happening, we would've had a plan to do something instead of having to run with our bloody tail between our legs."

Zack tossed the pillow onto the bed and crossed his arms. He huffed. How many times were they going to have this conversation? Probably forever. He knew he, Cody, and Bailey were going to be on the receiving end of distrust from his friends, especially with the threat of having to completely uproot their lives to make sure their families were safe. But he had thought they'd understand as well. It was a join decision they had all made years ago, when they stared having families, when it seemed like everything was going well for them.

Too well.

The thought of Uriel was always in the back of their minds no matter how much they didn't want to admit it. Like the proverbial boogeyman that every child was afraid of at some point in their lives. Parents could say it didn't exist, that there was no boogeyman after them, that monsters didn't exist. They didn't know how wrong they were. Monsters always existed if humans were alive. And they were the worst monsters that could ever be faced.

Considering what he and Cody had seen in Afghanistan…

 _"Go! Go!"_

 _Zack ducked out of the way as the whistling sound ceased behind him. There was a second of absolute silence and then the loudest sound he'd ever heard. His body moved into the position that had been drilled into his head over the past couple of months. Find something that would block him from the blast._

 _Check._

 _He crouched down behind a large mound of dirt. Cody was already there, his blue eyes a shocking contrast to the darkness of the soil around him. Zack curled up next to Cody and cupped his hands over his ears._

 _Check._

 _He needed to make sure his ears were protected, but that the force of the explosion wouldn't blow out his ear drums. Then he held his mouth open._

 _Check._

 _Keeping it closed would make the power of the shockwave collapse his lungs. And they waited. Only for a split second before the explosion. The powerful energy rocked around them. Zack could feel it punch through his chest before his fire aura kicked in, absorbing everything around him. He glanced over at Cody, who's eyes were squeezed tight, a water aura protecting him as well. Through the flames and waves Zack could see their guardians standing over them, the brilliant phoenixes they now became in battle, doing their best to keep their wards safe._

 _The first wave shot through and the second wave came back seconds later. Then all was still. Ears ringing, Zack pulled his hands from his ears and looked over at Cody, who did the same. The twins silently took stock of each other before getting to their feet, looking to see the damage. Rounding the wall of dirt, Zack looked out across what was no wasteland. The sparse trees and foliage that had been coverage before were gone, uprooted in the blast and disintegrated._

 _Zack could see further than he had before, miles down the road without his enhanced vision from his aviation powers. He couldn't see any of the enemies either. It took only a few seconds before he realized it was a suicide mission, they hadn't been trying to pick any of them off any more than they were trying to make a statement._

 _Then Zack's hearing returned and he heard the guttural screams. The familiar voice that shouted for the pain that made his blood run cold. Then he heard Cody running and followed him. Zack's eyes searched the ground, looking for the man that'd become a confidant and fellow soldier while deployed on their EAC mission. He didn't see him anywhere._

 _After a second, Zack looked at Cody, who nodded back at him and Zack concentrated once more. His eyes slowly turned orange as his vision changed, turning into a thermal vision that would let him recognize the body temperatures of people and things around him. It made it easier to see enemies and others through walls and doors with the ability. (And also came in handy when he was playing hide and seek with his kids—it coming back to bite him when he was trying to avoid chores and Riley had the same ability)._

 _Zack winced. He could see body parts steadily growing cold scattered around. There were other, full bodied people stuck under mounds of dirt that had been upturned. Then he spotted Diamond and raced over—he and Cody frantically dug him out from beneath the piles of dirt and dragged him to safety. Diamond screamed all the way._

 _Zack felt like screaming, too._

 _How anybody would be able to be calm when missing a leg was beyond him._

"The plan has _always_ been to get the kids to safety and then to do whatever it is we needed to do," Zack reminded her. He moved to kneel in front of her, taking her hands in his. "I'm scared, too. I don't want anything to happen to Jayden and Emma."

How his heart hurt with the adrenaline of fear when Esteban had said they need to get to the daycare. When he arrived, he expected to find his kids hurt or worse…but he'd found them wailing at the tops of their lungs, unable to calm down even when both of their parents were there, cuddling them and telling them that everything was going to be okay.

The way Jayden had held onto his shirt so tightly, enough to grab the skin underneath and bruise him had startled him so badly that Zack started to cry. He had promised when his twins were born that nothing would ever hurt them. How could he keep that promise when Uriel was simply too strong for them?

"And I know you're mad about that than you are with what Bailey, Cody, and I didn't tell the rest of you."

Riley made a humming sound but the fire left her eyes. "I thought we were a team, Zack," she finally said.

"We are," Zack replied. "But clearance—"

"Not that, boofhead!" She snapped. " _Us_!" She motioned back and forth between the two of them. "I know all about clearance, yeah? There are still some things I haven't told you from the last deployment I had to do and probably can't for another couple of months. I understand that completely, I mean you and me. The day we got married, even before then, we made that promise. And we always worked as a team, but the moment our kids were in danger you kept your mouth shut."

Now Zack felt his own temper flare. He was really starting to hate this conversation. How many times could they go around and around in circles with his apologies before everyone understood he was just as scared as they were.

"I didn't know there was anything even to keep quiet about. I didn't know, for sure, it was Uriel that was doing this stuff. If anything, it could've been another Elemental. Or some sort of other prophecy we didn't know about. I wanted to get all the answers before we knew for sure." He stood up and backed away from her. "You don't know how hard it is to make decisions like this when you're not the one who's—"he immediately cut off the end of his sentence but Riley knew him well enough to know what he was going to say.

"The leader, right?"

"I didn't ask for it. I didn't ask for any of this. And neither did you. But we're all in this now and we don't have a choice but to make incredibly hard decisions when the time comes. Do you think I _want_ to have Uriel back here? Do you think I _want_ to consistently worry whenever one of us has to be sent on a EAC deployment?"

"Why didn't you tell us what happened to Diamond?"

The question caught Zack off-guard. He blinked for a moment then looked at his wife curiously. "How'd you know about that?" He didn't need to question what she knew, she knew everything or else she wouldn't have asked. But it as the way her voice had suddenly lowered, as if something that come to her attention that he hadn't noticed that caught his attention.

Riley's dark blue eyes shifted back and forth for a moment before she looked at him. "Things are worse aren't they? Worse than Uriel?"

Zack pressed his lips together and nodded. He should've known she'd figure out what was going on. Her mission had been before his and there were still things that haunted her from it. "The opposing sides…" Zack took a deep breath. "They want to get rid of Elementals completely. No matter how much we've lived in harmony the last couple of years. There's reason to believe that the government knew and has been using Uriel to make that happen. And that he's been controlling those we come up against to make sure that they're destroyed."

That was it.

The entire thing.

That was the truth he and Cody were keeping hidden. The part they hadn't told Bailey. Clearance be damned, things were a _lot_ worse than the public knew about. As it was, a SWAT team was probably going to break into the house and kill them all considering what he'd just revealed. Zack watched as Riley nodded at his words, but watched her face. He could see instances of the Riley he met when they were teens, shortly before he awakened—the one who was willing to take down everything in her way. But he also saw the one who had become a wife and a mother—who cared much more about their safety than her own.

How reckless was it to revert to doing anything that needed to be done to take things down if it meant being killed in the process? Back when they were younger things were easier that way. Once you had any sort of relationship with someone else you were a goner. It made it that much harder to see friends and family get hurt.

It made you equally as powerful as it made you vulnerable.

Finally, Riley turned to Zack and placed her hands on his neck, her thumbs resting on his cheeks. Her eyes searched his. She didn't have to say anything, he knew exactly what she was thinking, feeling, fearing…Riley smiled and gave him a kiss before hugging him tightly. Zack wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back, squeezing her as hard as he could.

It might be the last time they could.

They only broke apart when they heard the door to their room open and Jayden and Emma toddled inside. Though dressed in their pajamas, it was obvious from the lack of bags under their eyes that they hadn't gone to sleep even when put to bed.

"What are you doing up?" Zack asked them.

Was his voice shaking?

He couldn't tell.

It was hard not to get emotional at the thought of not seeing his family again. He was supposed to come back and live happily until he was sent out again. Not bring the war home.

"Me and Jay-Jay sleep here?" Emma crawled onto their bed then turned and helped Jayden up. She hugged her blanket closer to her cheek and looked up at her parents with wonder. Her eyebrows lowered and she stuck her thumb in her mouth. Jayden looked at her then at his parents.

"Are you fighting?" He asked.

"No, we're not fighting," Riley said. She reached out and smoothed his hair back from his forehead before gently nudging Emma's hand from her mouth. "Just having a serious conversation. But you two need to go to sleep."

She and Zack bent over the bed to tuck their twins in. Riley stopped and grabbed Zack's arm. "Zack, look," she murmured.

Zack followed her gaze and let out a low sigh. Jayden turned to hug onto the pillow next to him, burying his face into the soft cushion. On the back of his neck a small mark that resembled an 'X' with waves behind it.

Zack cursed under his breath.

An Element mark.

* * *

Bailey gasped, clutching the Book of Esme tighter to her chest.

She could feel it.

Uriel was back and stronger than ever.

But this time, he had a lot more power on his side. He had blocked off the connection from the Element World. _If he's taken that over…_ Bailey thought. She looked over at Finn, who slept soundly in her bed. He hadn't said a word since they'd left the daycare. Almost as if he were shell-shocked. As soon as they arrived back he had gone straight into a peaceful sleep.

Even from where she sat she could see the Element mark that had appeared on his ankle over the last couple of hours.

* * *

 **A/N:** This Story was on hiatus for a little bit while I worked more on some other stories, but I'm back now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It took a few stories but it actually is focusing on Zack, Cody, and Bailey now, lol. Though my OCs and Crystal Manning's OCs are still as important, just those three are the main.

 **-Riles**


	8. full EAC deployment

CHAPTER EIGHT

* * *

 **New York**

Core's mouth pressed together in a hard, thin line. His eyes shifted back and forth across the screen in front of him. They burned every time he closed his eyes. He could feel the sleep gathering in the corners no matter how many times he wiped it away. When was the last time he'd eaten? He wasn't sure about that either, especially considering his stomach had stopped growling ages ago.

He needed to keep vigilant. There was only so much that could be done when their biggest enemy was showing his face again. They had the last nine years to get ready for his appearance and yet, they were still caught with nothing to anticipate it happening. He'd been working non-stop for the past nine years to determine what it was that Uriel was going to do and where he would go. His mind was always on the Element World. How many times could they fend him off? And with Uriel's power it was only a matter of time until he got the upper hand.

Now was that time and Core would stop at nothing to make sure he was gone. He'd spent how long on the research? Since his first year in college if he remembered correctly. Honestly, it felt like a lifetime. It could only feel even more like an eternity for the kids. They'd been doing it since they were teens, and they were only in their mid-twenties, how would the rest of their lives fare?

Core closed his eyes. He leaned back from his computer and pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes. His eyes burned even more, but at least he was giving himself a _little_ bit of a break. Any longer and he was sure he'd go blind.

Around him, Reed, Renee, Christian, and Kristin were monitoring their own computers, all faces illuminated by the glow of their screens as well. Except for the hum of the machines around them, they were silent. They were too busy working. There were too many things that needed to be figured out. Any semblance of small talk had been shot out the window once they'd received the news of what was going on in Boston.

Christian hummed and shook his head. "Still nothing from the Element World, it looks like it's completely blocked off now." He laced his fingers together, resting his chin on his hands. "We can't get any communication in or out. None of the guardians can do it."

"What about—"

"—We're not getting anything from the Book of Esme either," Renee said. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, pushed her glasses up her nose. "Other than the guardians it's the one thing that's completely connected to the Element World. Without that connection, we're not even sure how long Geneva and Gattaca can use their powers before becoming overpowered as everything else has."

"We need to figure out how Uriel's made it so that he's managed to block off both worlds," Core said.

Kristin gave him a look. "He controls life, that's going to be a hard one to ultimately defeat. How do we know he's not able to reincarnate once he's taken down?"

"He's an Elemental, not the bloody hydra," Reed replied. Leaning back in his seat, Reed roughed his hands over his face. There weren't enough answers to their questions and more questions continued to surface. He enjoyed working in the sciences, but there was only so much he could take when it he was constantly getting nothing but dead ends. "We can't even get in touch with the government, all they're doing at this point is working to cover up what's been seen today, yeah?"

"I don't think the eclipse excuse is the best one, either," Core murmured. "An eclipse isn't scheduled to come by for a long time. But the fact of the matter is, people are going to believe it because they didn't see what happened personally." He shook his head. "It's only a matter of time until things can't be explained anymore. Then they'd have to know the truth."

Core shook his head. The public knowing the truth. The truth being nothing more than fantasy to some people. Even with the presence of Elementals all over, there were those that continued to deny they existed. Pretended nothing was out of the ordinary. They were part of the problem.

Core turned his gaze back to his computer as something suddenly changing caught his eye. His eyebrows came together, eyes searching the screen for whatever anomaly it was that had changed. His eyes looked over the coordinates depicted in the corner of the program and his eyes widened. No. It couldn't be.

Uriel was moving faster than they thought.

"We've got movement," Core said, staring hard at the computer in front of him. His friends all got up and gathered around his computer, to see for themselves. Core picked up a pad of paper and a pen, quickly writing down the coordinates that rapidly changed over and over. There were too many changes for him to keep track at first, numbers rapidly shifting back and forth.

"What's going on?" Christian asked. "It looks like…he's bouncing around the Earth all at once."

"He is," Core realized. "He's…it's like he's opening portals around the Earth be able to move at once. I'm not quite sure if…" He shook his head and turned his attention back to the numbers, continued to write them down as fast as he could. There was a pattern, he could see that now. Every thirty seconds it would cycle until he got them all down. Looking over them, Core shook his head. They needed to get the information out as soon as possible. "Call the hospital and let them know we need to get in touch with Diamond."

"What if we don't get through?" Kristin asked, whipping out her phone to do as she was told.

"Tell them it's a protocol, that we override all of the clearance levels to the top spot," Core said. He stood up from his seat and folded the coordinates in his hand. "And tell him to meet us in DC."

* * *

 **Japan**

Akito Himada shuddered as a cold wind blew around him. He opened his eyes and gazed out the window in front of him. From his seated position on the floor, Akito gazed over the darkening sky in front of him. He hadn't seen it happen so rapidly in a long time. There was no forecast of inclement weather that was to come through, he made sure to pay attention to the weather every day. He cared about his plants and gardens that much.

This was no normal storm. No, this was something evil, he could sense it.

Hearing a low growling sound, Akito turned and saw his fox guardian standing at his side, hackles rose. It growled for a few tense moments before whimpering and lowering itself to the ground. Akito reached out and ran his hands over the fox's back. It trembled beneath his palm, quaking with a fear of something Akito couldn't quite see but could sense.

Reaching out a hand, Akito grasped the cane that sat beside him and slowly lifted himself upwards. Halfway up, pain shot through his leg. His fox guardian was on its feet in seconds, pressing its nose into Akito's back to lift him from the ground.

Akito patted him on the head once more and turned away, walking closer to the window. His eyes silently shifted back and forth as he watched the storm unfold in front of him. Lightning bolts shot down from the sky, raining over the trees. He couldn't see it make the landfall, but could feel its power in the shockwaves that came after it. The wind continued to pick up and Uriel then saw the clouds swirling to what looked like tornadoes or hurricanes that were about to form. It wouldn't be too much longer until earthquakes started as well.

Humming, Akito turned around and shuffled to his TV. He turned it on and found the news already reporting on it. And Akito watched as long as he could, eyes shifting back and forth over the images on screen. He tilted his head to the side and watched the tags running along the bottom of the screen. Just as he thought, it had been something that originated from Boston, but otherwise didn't make much sense for those that hadn't seen Elementals up close and personal. His mind shifted to the messages he'd been getting recently, summons to go to the US Embassy in Tokyo. It'd take some time for him to get there, he wasn't as young as he used to be. He'd need help if he were to go, part of his reasons as why he didn't want to go in person.

Now seemed it was the time.

Akito, with his guardian padding along at his side, walked to his bedroom. He placed his cane against the wall and went to the closet. He pulled on a metal box and cradled it in his arms before walking to the shrine that sat in the living room. He set the box on the floor and pressed his palms against the box. Closing his eyes, Akito listened to the spirits around him. They'd tell him what to do and as soon as he knew how to help, he would head out to Tokyo.

* * *

 **Boston**

Cody's eyebrows came together.

Something had just changed around him. He wasn't sure what.

An aura?

Or maybe he hard something?

His eyes shot open and he glanced to the side, watching as Cassidy slept soundly in the basinet that sat by the bed. He turned his head the other way and saw Crystal curled up next to him, her cheek resting on her arm. Her other hand land on his stomach, almost as if she were trying to rub his stomach to feel a baby there. Every few seconds he could feel his body temperature change with her ice powers coming into activation.

She was either dreaming of fight, or was gearing herself up in case Uriel was coming to fight again. Cody frowned, despair seeping into his stomach. It was the last thing he wanted, to know it wasn't much longer until they had to go into hiding. Until they got debriefed and knew what they were up against. Phantom sat on the end of the bed, his wings tucked around him, head twitching back and forth every few seconds. Dricer sat by the bedroom door, his eyes trained on it. The tiger guardian's ears perked up and his head swiveled towards Cody at the slight movement he made.

Lifting a hand, Cody silently reassured him that everything was okay. Dricer nodded and lowered his head back to his palms, giving Cody the chance to sit up straight, his back resting against the pillows behind him. He slowly, very slowly reached over and grasped Cassidy, lifting him up into her arms. Her lips puckered, her eyelashes fluttered but she stayed silent. Her hand lifted and curled and uncurled into a fist, over and over. Cody reached up and pressed his finger into her grasp. Cassidy held onto it so tightly that Cody knew he wouldn't be able to pull back without her waking up.

Cassidy's blue eyes blinked open and locked onto his own. And she looked at him, eyes filled with wonder. The same expression her father gave when he was young and first starting to learn new things. There were many pictures of him sitting at a computer or reading a book with that same expression. But the more he looked into her face, the more Cody was glad to see that—in his honest opinion—she looked more like her mother. The way her eyebrows came together into an inquisitive stare, almost as if she was sensing Cody's plight—how what little hair she had on her head was a soft, dark color and easily slid between his fingertips. She wasn't very much old at all but he could see her growing every day, knew there was only so much that could be done to keep her safe.

It was always a risk, a risk they knew was coming, and now that it was staring him in the face, Cody felt nothing but despair. He would do anything to make sure the world was safe for everyone, for his children, but knowing it would be at the cost of his own life? When he didn't have children it was different, easier. He could keep himself an arm's length away from everything and everything and everyone. He'd also become hardened over the years. It was a bit of depression, he supposed, if he thought about it enough.

There were many times where he didn't want to get out of bed, where he couldn't force himself to do anything because memories of their past fights entered his mind and stayed there, growing like a fungus. Many times, he struggled to remember when life was normal and all he was scared about was figuring out where he would be going to college. Even when he was _in_ college, he couldn't quite keep his mind and focus on his studies. There were a lot of great moments that he wished he'd have spent more time in the moment, but even those memories faded away. All of his success and plans for the future could never compare to the life he held in his arms.

He was responsible for that and many others.

Cody got to his feet and bounced Cassidy up and down in his arms. She continued to gurgle, her tongue sticking out every now and then to run against her lips, drool sliding down her chin. And Cody smiled down at her. "Hey Cassidy," he whispered to her. "Cassidy Blue. We're going to be going away for a while, but we'll come back okay? Nothing will keep me from coming back to you. I love you so much. Your mother, too." He laughed to himself. "She should, she spent over twenty hours in labor with you. But the minute she saw your face she didn't care about the pain, how tired she was…she just loved you." Cody reached out and gently tickled Cassidy under the chin. "We'll come back for you as soon as we can and we'll tell you everything about our adventure, about everything we've done for you. All of this is for you. You'll be okay."

He made a mental note to call his mother, to get everything arranged. It'd been too long since he spoke to his parents and they knew not to call him unless he called first. Any other time and he might be away, any other time or they'd miss him. It might be the last time for them to reach their sons.

 _Don't think about that, Cody,_ he reminded himself. _Now's not the time._

He put Cassidy back in her bassinet before leaning over to press a gentle kiss to Crystal's forehead. She stirred, pulling her blankets tighter around her. Cody smiled. It always made him laugh how much she liked to stay warm under blankets, but also preferred the temperature of the house as low as possible. Cody, having had lived in numerous climates didn't mind the temperature so much, but always found it funny to watch her complain even if he moved it a few degrees upwards. There were a few things he learned from Zack over the years—messing with her could be so funny sometimes.

Cody lifted his arm and allowed Phantom to unfold his wings and glide over to him, resting on the crook of his arm. Phantom lowered his talons into Cody's arm, gently scratching him.

"What are we going to do?" Phantom asked. "My connection to the Element World is getting weaker by the day."

"We're going to find a way to get back there," Cody explained. "Since it's the one place that Uriel would be the strongest. Remember our tests?" They'd traveled to and from the Element World over the years, figuring out through those travels that their guardians' links to their home world did indeed make them stronger. Like a battery recharging in its housing. The longer they were split from the Element world however… "We'll just have to get you back there."

"We have no means of traveling there, Master Cody," Phantom reminded him. "We've all tried."

"I know, but I'm not giving up yet," Cody said. He walked out to the living room, carefully and quietly closing the bedroom door behind him. Dricer moved out of the way and jumped up onto to the bed to take Cody's vacant spot. Cody caught a glimpse before the door closed completely. "That's the point of science, there's always an answer even if it takes you a long time to reach it."

"Have you watched the news?" Phantom pressed. "That's part of Uriel's power. That's not anything the rest of us can do."

"DalFang can teleport, so can Riley, the others can move very fast…there might be a way…" Cody trailed off.

"What?" Phantom asked. "Master Cody, what's wrong?"

But Cody didn't respond. He was staring at the coffee table that sat in the middle of the living room. He and Crystal both made sure their living space was clean and orderly. They'd always preferred things to be in its place once the item had completed its purpose. So it caught Cody by surprise and slight suspicion when he saw a manilla folder lying in the middle of the coffee table. It hadn't been there before they'd gone to sleep and neither Phantom nor Dricer had detected anyone in their house.

Still, Cody knew what it was before he picked it up and opened it. Before he spilled the contents out in his hand. Something about being an Elemental made it so that those beings were more in-tune with the world around them. Made it so that their subconscious figured things out before their conscious would.

So when Cody read the words " _full EAC presence"_ he wasn't surprised, shocked, or upset.

It was only a matter of time before everybody would be deployed.

The day had finally come.

* * *

 **A/N:** So chapters to this story are going to be between 3-5k words as the rest goes on. I think it helps to keep the fast-pace of an action story. I hope you enjoyed this one. Things are picking up now.

 **-Riles**


	9. Highly Classified Information

CHAPTER NINE

* * *

 **FULL EAC PRESENCE NEEDED IMMEDIATELY!**

* * *

 _What you're about to read is highly classified information._

 _Should any of this information escape to the wrong people at the wrong time, there will be severe consequences. It is of the utmost importance that those who are detailed to go on this deployment arrive in the detailed location ASAP. This is a deployment that holds the future of the world. This is a day that we hoped not to come and it has come sooner than predicted._

 _The directions as follows should be followed down to the exact letter. The briefing of this imminent meeting will be held in New York City before the deployment is shipped out to Tokyo, Japan to meet up with the liaison who, henceforth, will be referred to as Hale. Some of the information below has been redacted; those in the highest positions of clearance will receive the completed set of information._

 _This mission is looking for the recruitment of the BlackWolves, the DarkLions, the DragonGang, Spirit-X, Escalate, and Triad. WingzCorp and factions of the United States Army will be [redacted]._

 _If there are those that can't deliver on their duties it should be indicated as soon as possible, other areas of your talent will be utilized._

 _General care will be made for those who have young children. Conversely, In the case of parental death, those remaining of those families will be retributed for their services. Education, healthcare, and general amenities will be handled by the EAC until the child turns of legal age, of which the rest of the retribution will be accessed by said child or by the remaining parent to decide the utilization._

 _Such retributions will equal to [redacted]._

 _Weapons such as [redacted] and [redacted] will be utilized thus ensuring the means of being tested while with our briefing in New York City. Zachary Thomas Martin and Cody Mitchell Martin will be expected to [redacted] due to their status within the EAC. Bailey Ann Pickett will follow a separate protocol due to her connections through the Element World._

 _The others; Madeline Margaret Genevieve Miranda Catherine Fitzpatrick (married to Julius Jackson), Julius Ryder Jackson, Rilandon Evangeline Jackson (married to Zachary Martin), Rhubella Skye Jackson (married to Reihu), Patrick Bailey Jackson, Noah Liam Jackson (engaged to a non-elemental), Sydney Adrian Jackson, Crystalline Jay Manning (married to Cody Martin), Aaron Gabriel Manning, Maxine Rae Montgomery (married to Christopher Michaels), Christopher Noah Michaels, and Reihu have their own protocols put in place in accordance to their powers and their power level._

 _WingzCorp will be expected to [redacted] at a moment's notice._

 _Further information will be given to you on your flights which will be charted out of Boston, Massachusetts in the second morning from the time you receive this briefing._

 _We expect you to be there as it is your duty to protect and serve._

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, that certainly can't be good if al of them are needed. There's more coming soon.

 **-Riles**


End file.
